Betenbaugh entered his plea in U.S. District Court in Spartanburg as part of a plea agreement.
Under the terms of the negotiated plea with the U.S. government, Betenbaugh must cooperate fully in their investigation, including taking and passing polygraph tests. If he cooperates fully with the government, then at the time of sentencing all other charges against him will be dropped.
As part of the agreement, the government is recommending a sentence of five months in prison, followed by five months in a halfway house, three years supervised release, restitution and fines in an amount to be determined by the court plus a special assessment of $100.
If he does not fully cooperate — which includes him not passing the polygraph tests — he will not be allowed to withdraw his guilty plea. The government also will be able to seek a higher sentence and can prosecute him on the remaining 39 charges.
The maximum sentence Betenbaugh could receive on the extortion charge is 20 years and a $250,000 fine.
U.S. District Court Judge Henry Floyd will not hand down his sentence for Betenbaugh until a presentencing report is completed, which is expected to take at least 45 days.
U.S. Attorney Kevin McDonald and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Moore discussed the government’s reasons for entering this plea agreement.
They said Betenbaugh’s attorneys provided them with evidence calling into question the credibility and reliability of one of their primary witnesses — Willie Randall Jr.
They added as part of Randall’s agreement to cooperate with the government he also will undergo polygraph testing.
The prosecution pointed out Betenbaugh and Randall have provided conflicting accounts regarding the split of the $50,000 they extorted on the American Federal Building deal.
This, too, will be a subject for the polygraph tests.
Keep your eyes on The Union Daily Times Web site and be sure to get a copy of Wednesday’s print edition to read more on Betenbaugh’s plea.
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