Yahoo Sports SC councilwoman allegedly used taxpayer money to 'stalk' Magic Johnson in New Jersey
A South Carolina councilwoman indicted on public corruption charges allegedly used taxpayer money to “stalk” NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, the Columbia Post and Courier reported.
Richland County Council Vice Chairwoman Dahli Myers allegedly used government money to fund personal trips and spending sprees. The 24-count indictment was issued late Thursday and Myers was released without bond after a short hearing on Friday. She has been suspended from office, although her term is up on Dec. 31.
Councilwoman ‘stalks’ NBA Hall of Famer
Most of the charges are for “illicit use” of the county credit card, State Grand Jury Division Chief Attorney Creighton Waters told Judge DeAndrea Benjamin, per Avery G. Wilkes of the Post and Courier. The destinations charged to the card included Greece, Georgia, Illinois, Detroit and Nashville.
A trip to Newark, New Jersey, had a specific purpose, per the indictment. Myers reportedly used her county credit card to take a trip to Newark to “stalk” Johnson and former NFL player Richard Seymour.
There are no further details on the trip. Johnson made a high-profile visit to Newark in September 2019 when he saw the Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. His company has a food service contract with the hospital. In September, the five-time NBA champion was reportedly granted a temporary restraining order against a man allegedly stalking him.
Seymour, taken No. 6 overall in the 2001 NFL draft by the New England Patriots, is a local South Carolina star. He attended Lower Richland High School and is a native of Gadsden, a town over from Myers’ residence in Hopkins.
Councilwoman spends taxpayer money for personal gain, per report
Myers is an attorney who was first elected in 2016 during a special election to fill former councilman Kelvin Washington’s spot. He was removed from office after pleading guilty to failing to file income tax returns.
Myers allegedly went on spending sprees at big box stores and bought premium chocolates, repairs to her personal phone and car, gifts for friends and even a strategy book to play Fortnite, a popular online game.
When asked about the expenses, she made false explanations for why purchases — commonly filed without an itemized receipt — were legitimate county expenses, the grand jury said. Via the Post and Courier:
And when Myers tried to reimburse the county, a check of $27,000 “bounced as high as any super ball could bounce,” Waters said.
She was suspended from the office for the last two weeks of her position after losing the Democratic primary in June. The 24 counts include those for misconduct in office, using her government position for personal gain, embezzlement, writing a fraudulent check and misusing her campaign money for personal expenses.
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