Individuals and businesses facing government investigation or criminal prosecution in the District of South Carolina should hire experienced counsel to protect their interests. HHM has experience in a wide variety of federal criminal areas and a strong presence in the District of South Carolina.

The U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina (D.S.C.) is the federal district court comprised of eight divisions whose collective jurisdiction is the entire state of South Carolina. Appeals from the District of South Carolina are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit—except for patent claims and claims submitted against the federal government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit.

• The Aiken Division, headquartered at the Charles E. Simons, Jr. Federal Courthouse in Aiken, hears cases from the counties of: Aiken, Barnwell and Allendale.
• The Anderson Division hears cases at the G. Ross Anderson, Jr. Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Anderson, the Clement F. Haynsworth Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Greenville, or the Donald S. Russell Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Spartanburg and serves the counties of Oconee, Pickens and Anderson.
• The Beaufort Division hears cases at the Charleston Federal Courthouse, and covers the counties of Hampton, Jasper and Beaufort.
• The Charleston Division also holds court at the Charleston Federal Courthouse and serves the counties of Colleton, Dorchester, Berkeley, Charleston, Georgetown, and Clarendon.
• The Columbia Division is based in the Matthew J. Perry, Jr. Federal Courthouse in Columbia and adjudicates cases from the counties of Lexington, Richland, Sumter, Lee and Kershaw.
• The Florence Division hears cases at the McMillan Federal Building in Florence, and processes cases from Chesterfield, Darlington, Florence, Williamsburg, Horry, Marion, Dillon, and Marlboro counties.
• The Greenville, Spartanburg, and Greenwood Divisions process their cases at the G. Ross Anderson, Jr. Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Anderson, the Clement F. Haynsworth Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Greenville, or the Donald S. Russell Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Spartanburg. Collectively, these three Divisions cover the counties of Greenville, Laurens, Abbeville, Greenwood, McCormick, Edgefield, Saluda, Newbury, Spartanburg, Union and Cherokee.
• The Orangeburg Division hears cases at the Charles E. Simons, Jr. Federal Courthouse in Aiken, and covers issues arising from York, Chester, Fairfield and Lancaster counties.

The U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina consists of one Chief Judge: Terry L. Wooten (Columbia)

• Joseph Fletcher Anderson Jr. (Columbia)
• Henry Michael Herlong Jr. (Greenville)
• Cameron McGowan Currie (Columbia)
• Patrick Michael Duffy (Charleston)
• Margaret B. Seymour (Columbia)

The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina

The current U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina is Sherri A. Lydon, who was sworn in on May 24, 2018. The USAO for the District of South Carolina consists of 55 Assistant U.S. Attorneys and 61 support personnel who are responsible for prosecuting federal crimes affecting the District, including narcotics and firearm cases, gang violence, human corruption, terrorism and civil rights violations. The office also defends the federal government in civil cases and collects debts owed to the United States.

Criminal Division

The USAO for the District of Columbia prosecutes a broad range of criminal offenses, including violent crime, complex financial and bank fraud, counterfeiting, computer fraud, environmental crime, immigration violations, public corruption, organized crime, and complex rug and money laundering activities. Over fifty personnel are assigned to the Criminal Division, which is divided into three sections: General Crimes/White Collar, Narcotics/Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and Violent Crime.

• The General Crimes/White Collar Section focuses on complex fraud and financial crimes that the federal government is uniquely qualified to handle including mortgage fraud, bank fraud, securities fraud, health care fraud, copyright and trademark violations, theft of trade secrets, identity theft, illegal reentry, environmental crimes and several others. Additionally, the General Crimes/White Collar Section also prosecutes computer and child exploitation crimes and public corruption cases.
• The Narcotics/OCDETF prosecutes violations of the Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act and focuses on major drug traffickers whose organizations span district and international borders.
• The Violent Crimes Section deals with federal prosecution of Title 18 firearms offenses, violations of the National Firearms Act under Title 26, kidnapping, carjacking, Hobbs Act Robbery, bank robbery, gang related organized crime and related offenses.

Civil Division

The Civil Division defends the interests of the United States in cases where federal agencies are sued for alleged conduct by their officers or employees including matters related to personal injury, medical malpractice, employment discrimination, bankruptcy, prisoner litigation, judicial review of agency decisions, Social security, and actions for injunctive relief, which challenge a federal agency’s compliance with federal law or the Constitution. The Civil Division also pursue affirmative civil actions to recover damages for fraud and other offenses against the U.S. and imposes civil penalties for violations of health, safety and economic welfare laws. Typical cases involve claims for payment submitted to Medicare by health care providers, claims for payment submitted by contractors for government contracts, and claims by individuals for certain federal benefits such as food stamps.

Appellate, Asset Forfeiture and Financial Litigation Division

The third litigating Division in the USAO for the District of South Carolina is the Appellate, Asset Forfeiture and Financial Litigation Division, which represents the United States’ interests before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in criminal appeals, and litigates claims on behalf of victims of federal crime and by the United States to the proceeds from crime and property involved in criminal activity.

HHM and the DSC

The knowledgeable and competent federal defense team at HHM is prepared to assist you with your FBI, OIG, IRS, or other federal government legal matters. If your personal reputation or corporate entity are under attack we can utilize our invaluable insight of the federal litigation process to develop a personalized and effective strategy to safeguard your interests and ensure your rights are protected at all stages of your case.