Topic · topic
South Carolina's Criminal Gang Prevention Act, effective June 12, 2007, defines a criminal gang as a group of five or more persons engaged in a pattern of criminal gang activity and creates offenses, forfeiture, a SLED statewide gang database and State Grand Jury authority. Federal prosecutors in South Carolina use RICO, VICAR and firearm statutes against street gangs, often through the FBI-led Columbia Violent Gangs Task Force. As of October 14, 2026, the 2025-2026 anti-racketeering bills S.76 and H.5062 show no enactment. [1][2][3][4][5][6]
South Carolina's Criminal Gang Prevention Act is Article 3 of Title 16, Chapter 8 of the S.C. Code, Sections 16-8-210 through 16-8-340. It was enacted by 2007 Act No. 82, Section 5, effective June 12, 2007. Section 16-8-230 defines a criminal gang as a formal or informal ongoing organization, association, or group of five or more persons that engages in a pattern of criminal gang activity. A pattern requires four or more listed offenses within a two-year period, at least three of them after July 1, 2007. [1]
The 2007 legislation also created a Gang Prevention Study Committee and gave the state grand jury authority to investigate criminal gang activity. The committee, led by Attorney General Henry McMaster, held its first meeting on December 17, 2007, and was charged with an advisory report to the Legislature. [2]
The Post and Courier reported on December 17, 2007 that SLED had identified 325 groups with a combined membership of more than 1,600 as of February 2007. The same report stated that SLED counted 370 reported gang-related crimes in 2002 and 778 in 2006. [2]
Section 16-8-240 makes it unlawful for a criminal gang member to use or threaten physical violence to coerce participation in a gang or to stop a member from leaving; a first offense is a misdemeanor and later offenses are felonies. Section 16-8-250 makes it a felony for a gang member to prevent a witness or victim from attending or testifying by threat or force. The Act also provides for seizure and forfeiture (16-8-260), a civil cause of action for the State (16-8-270), protection of informant identity from discovery (16-8-280), release notification to the sheriff or police chief (16-8-290), and local ordinances (16-8-310). Section 16-8-320 requires agencies to record gang members in the NCIC Violent Gang and Terrorist Organization File, and Section 16-8-330 directs SLED to develop and manage a statewide criminal gang database exempt from FOIA. [1]
The Columbia Violent Gangs Task Force is an FBI-led partnership that is part of the FBI Safe Streets Task Force initiative. Releases in 2014 and 2020 list its partners as SLED, the Richland County Sheriff's Department and the Columbia Police Department. [4][3][7]
County units also appear in the public record. The Times and Democrat reported the Midlands Gang Task Force assisting in a St. Matthews bank robbery case on December 7, 2018, and reported on March 13, 2012 that Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office gang task force detectives briefed residents on gang colors, hand gestures and numeric symbols. [8][9]
The South Carolina Gang Investigators Association (SCGIA) is listed as the organizer of the 2024 Gangs Across the Carolinas Training Conference, held March 18-21, 2024 at the Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort at Kingston Plantation. This listing comes from an event aggregator (grade D). [10]
The Attorney General has used the State Grand Jury for gang cases. On March 21, 2018 the AG announced drug and criminal gang indictments of 15 people alleged to be part of the Paid Family gang in Richland and Lexington counties, and on May 3, 2018 announced criminal gang-related indictments of eight people in Richland, Lexington and Newberry counties. [11][12]
Federal prosecutors in South Carolina have used RICO conspiracy for street gangs. Calvin James Hall of Irmo was convicted of RICO conspiracy as a member or associate of the Bloods on July 25, 2013 and sentenced to life without parole on June 6, 2014. The last indicted member of the Cowboys gang of Walterboro was sentenced to 20 years for RICO conspiracy on December 18, 2017. VICAR (18 U.S.C. 1959) and federal firearm statutes appear alongside RICO. On February 24, 2016, fourteen alleged members and associates of two street gangs were indicted in Charleston on racketeering and attempted murder in aid of racketeering charges. On November 21, 2017, five alleged Elm Street Piru Bloods members were indicted for conspiracy to attempt to murder a State witness in aid of racketeering and conspiracy under 18 U.S.C. 924(o). [3][13][14][15]
On August 15, 2019, the U.S. Attorney announced that all 33 Horry County and Myrtle Beach defendants indicted after a federal wiretap investigation into the G-Shine/SMG gang had pleaded guilty. [16]
On December 10, 2020, a federal grand jury returned a 147-count superseding indictment against 40 defendants, described as the largest federal racketeering conspiracy in South Carolina history. On August 18, 2023, the U.S. Attorney announced that the final defendant was sentenced and that all defendants had pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy, VICAR, or drug conspiracy. [17][18]
In State v. Dashawn Chazz Hurley, Op. No. 2025-UP-234, an unpublished per curiam opinion reported on August 1, 2025, the S.C. Court of Appeals found no error in the trial court's consideration of gang affiliations during sentencing. [19]
S.76, sponsored by Senator Hembree and titled Criminal Gang and Anti-Racketeering, amends Section 16-8-230. It was prefiled December 11, 2024, reported favorably with amendment by Senate Judiciary on March 26, 2025, amended January 21, 2026, and continued on April 28, 2026; the bill page shows no passage or Act number. The January 21, 2026 version would make racketeering activity unlawful as a felony of five to 20 years. H.5062, sponsored by Representative Robbins with the same short title, was introduced and referred to House Judiciary on January 29, 2026. Its caption provides a mechanism to abate a public nuisance of real property used by a criminal gang. [5][20][6]
On March 26, 2026, the Attorney General announced a State Grand Jury indictment of two men for a July 5, 2022 Chester County murder, alleged to be the culmination of retaliatory shootings between rival gangs, in partnership with SLED and the Chester County Sheriff's Office. [21]
This morning's summary covers recent developments regarding state-level organized crime indictments, ongoing law enforcement actions against illegal weapons possession, and judicial updates concerning historic prison unrest.
This briefing reviews recent activity involving state-level narcotics trafficking indictments, law enforcement operations, and ongoing judicial proceedings related to South Carolina's security threat landscape.
State authorities have announced a major indictment against a criminal organization operating in the Midlands, highlighting the ongoing intersection between regional drug trafficking and gang activity involving SCDC inmates.
This briefing summarizes recent developments in South Carolina regarding organized criminal activity, gang-related violence, and institutional security challenges.
