State Grand Jury Indicts Travis Antonio Braddy in Public Corruption Case for Alleged Embezzlement of Richland County School District One Funds

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) - South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced today that agents with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division arrested former Richland County School District One (RCSD1) Procurement Manager, Travis Antonio Braddy, following a twelve count indictment issued by the South Carolina State Grand Jury.  The indictments generally allege Braddy abused his position and spent school funds for personal use, including through misuse of RCSD1 P-cards. 

“Overuse of P-cards and lax enforcement of procurement policies and procedures can lead to misuse of taxpayer money meant to benefit the schoolchildren of our state,” Attorney General Wilson said. “This office will continue to be aggressive in following up on allegations of school P-card and procurement abuse throughout South Carolina.”

Braddy, 43, resigned from RCSD1 on or about May 27, 2021, on demand of the school district on grounds of insubordination. Braddy is in custody and will be housed at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.

In Indictment 2022-GS-47-30, venued in Richland County, the State Grand Jury charged Braddy with one count of Misconduct in Office; three counts of Embezzlement, Value Less than $10,000; one count of Embezzlement, Value More than $10,000; four counts of Use of Official Position for Personal Gain; and three counts of Forgery.

Counts #1 through #8 charge that Braddy used public funds to book rooms for himself at a Columbia-area Hilton Garden Inn using RCSD1 p-cards without any legitimate school district purpose. Braddy then concealed his alleged misuse by forging invoices from the hotel, which he turned into the school district, that falsely claimed the school money Braddy spent for hotel rooms was actually for the purpose of buying excess personal protective equipment from the hotel for the school to use in the COVID pandemic. Through this scheme, Braddy allegedly converted $3,358.16 in public funds to his personal use.

Counts #1, #9, and #10 charge that Braddy rented a 2020 GMC Yukon for personal use with public funds that had been approved to rent a box truck to deliver personal protective equipment for the schools to use during the COVID crisis. Braddy continued personal use of the SUV well after his resignation from RCSD1, and the entire cost was billed to the district.  Through this scheme, Braddy allegedly converted $10,424.25 in public funds for his personal use.

Finally, Counts #1, #11, and #12 charge that Braddy created a bogus purchase order which he used to justify payment of school district funds to a sham company and account under the control of a person known and closely connected to him. Through this scheme, Braddy allegedly converted $9,388.00 of public funds to his personal use.

The crimes charged in the indictments carry the following classifications and penalties:

• Misconduct in Office is a common law offense punishable by up to 10 years in prison
• Embezzlement, Value Less than $10,000 is a statutory felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine proportioned to the amount of the embezzlement.
• Embezzlement, Value $10,000 or More is a statutory felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine proportioned to the amount of the embezzlement.
• Use of Official Position or Office for Financial Gain is a statutory misdemeanor and violation of the Ethics Act punishable by up to 1 year in prison and/or a fine of up to $5,000
• Forgery, Value Less than $10,000, is a statutory felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison and/or a fine in the discretion of the court.

Altogether, the State Grand Jury has indicted Braddy for schemes to defraud RCSD1 of $23,170.41. If convicted, Braddy faces potential incarceration of up to 54 years in prison.

This State Grand Jury investigation is being conducted by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office, and the Columbia Police Department. The case will be prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Johnny Ellis James Jr. and State Grand Jury Chief Attorney S. Creighton Waters.

Attorney General Wilson stressed that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.

A bond hearing for Braddy is scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022, at the Richland County Courthouse before Judge Clifton Newman.

You can read the indictment here.