Former Union County Sheriff Howard Wells, former Union County Tax Assessor Willie Randall Jr. and Union County residents Willard Dee Farr and Lapriest Darnell Beacham all entered guilty pleas this afternoon in federal court in Spartanburg.

Wells, Farr and Beacham each pleaded guilty to one of the counts against them. Randall pleaded guilty to seven of the counts against him, including one he shares with Beacham, and six he shares with former Union County Supervisor Donnie Betenbaugh. The four will be sentenced in approximately 45 days following presentencing reports.

United States District Judge Henry F. Floyd accepted the pleas.

Wells pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators. According to Acting United States Attorney Kevin F. McDonald, evidence presented at today's hearing established Wells made sizeable loans to an individual, resulting in significant income to himself. In March 2009, Wells made false statements to federal law enforcement agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation concerning his involvement in concealing his receipt of taxable interest income and the existence of documents acknowledging the same. Wells faces a maximum possible sentence of five years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.

Randall pleaded guilty to conspiracy, extortion, soliciting and accepting bribes, money laundering, structuring financial transactions to evade federal reporting requirements and knowingly allowing the Union County Tax Assessor's Office to be used as a "stash house" for the storage and distribution of cocaine and hydrocodone, according to McDonald. Randall faces a maximum possible sentence of 190 years in prison and a fine of $5.25 million. In addition, Randall also pleaded to conspiracy to distribute cocaine and a mixture containing methamphetamine. He faces an additional maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of $1 million.

McDonald reported Beacham also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine.

Farr pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit extortion and faces a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to the acting U.S. attorney.

The case was investigated by agents of the FBI, the IRS-Criminal Investigation and SLED and Assistant United States Attorneys Mark C. Moore, Nancy C. Wicker and J.D. Rowell of the Columbia office prosecuted the cases.

Watch The Union Daily Times Web site and Friday's edition for more on this story.