The jury for Betenbaugh’s Feb. 16 trial was selected Wednesday morning at the U.S. District Courthouse in Spartanburg. The 12 jurors and four alternates selected Wednesday will hear the case and decide whether Betenbaugh is guilty or innocent of a wide range of federal corruption and drug charges.
One of five persons indicted in October, Betenbaugh is the only one whose case is still scheduled to go to trial. Former sheriff Howard Wells, former tax assessor Willie Randall Jr., Lapriest Beacham and Willard Farr pleaded guilty Jan. 14 and are awaiting sentencing.
Betenbaugh was originally indicted — along with Randall — on 15 charges of conspiracy, extortion, soliciting and accepting bribes, money laundering, structuring financial transactions to evade federal reporting requirements and allowing the tax assessor’s office to be used to store and distribute Hydrocodone and cocaine.
Randall pleaded guilty to six of those charges on Jan. 14.
The indictments also include 25 additional charges against Betenbaugh accusing him of witness tampering, lying to federal agents, misprison of a felony, obstruction of justice and illegally distributing Lorazepam, a Schedule IV controlled substance.
In January, U.S. District Judge Henry Floyd ruled in favor of a motion by Betenbaugh’s attorneys that four of the charges be severed from the rest and tried separately. Betenbaugh’s attorneys argued that the charges were unrelated to a 2005 kickback scheme involving the county’s purchase of the American Federal Building in downtown Union.
Despite this, Betenbaugh still faces the possibility of more than 600 years in prison if convicted on all 40 charges.
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