Richard Quinn Sr.
OccupationPolitical consultant
Political partyRepublican Party
ChildrenRichard "Rick" Quinn Jr.

Richard Quinn Sr. is an American former political consultant currently under indictment for perjury in the state of South Carolina. A long-time Republican Party campaign consultant, he advised the presidential campaigns of Ronald Reagan, John McCain, and Lindsey Graham.[1] He is known as one of South Carolina's most prominent political consultants. He was once the editor of the Neo-Confederate Southern Partisan magazine although he later recanted the views he held while in that position.[2]

Quinn was the leader of a political organization nicknamed the "Quinndom" which he started through his consulting firm, Richard Quinn & Associates.[3][4] On October 18, 2017, Quinn and his son, Richard "Rick" Quinn Jr., were indicted on charges of criminal conspiracy and illegal lobbying alongside three South Carolina state lawmakers.[5] Those charges were later dropped as part of his son's guilty plea deal.[6] However, in July 2021, a state grand jury indictment again charged Quinn Sr. with 12 counts of perjury and two counts of obstruction of justice.[7]

Corruption investigation

During the South Carolina Statehouse corruption investigation into then-South Carolina House Member Bobby Harrell's campaign violations, solicitor David Pascoe found possible evidence that James Merrill (politician) and Rick Quinn Jr. had engaged in ethics violations while they served their respective terms as South Carolina House of Representatives Majority Leader. Both Quinns were implicated after Merrill told investigators that while Quinn Jr. was House Majority Leader, he had Republican caucus members use his family's print shop for campaign materials which investigators believed was a possible violation of the South Carolina Campaign Reform Act.

A broader investigation into these violations began after South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson recused himself from the investigation due to prior contact with members of Harrell's staff. The probe ended in 2017. In 2018, the released Grand Jury Report found that "corporate entities retained Richard Quinn for the purpose of gaining access to and influence over public officials, and by failing to report Mr. Quinn's services, influenced the outcome of legislative matters with no accountability or disclosure to the public in violation of the State Lobbying Act."[8]

Quinn initially faced trial for eleven counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice related to the 2013 investigation into state house corruption.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Why We're Here - Richard Quinn & Associates". Richard Quinn & Associates. Archived from the original on December 8, 2018. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Confederate flag: South Carolina House votes to take it down - POLITICO". Politico. 2018-12-08. Archived from the original on 2018-12-08. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
  3. ↑ Silverstein, Ken (2007-10-16). "Rod Shealy: South Carolina's shrewdest political consultant?". Harper's Magazine. Archived from the original on September 22, 2019. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
  4. ↑ "Free Times 50: The Power Issue 2014 - Free-Times.com". 2016-09-27. Archived from the original on 2016-09-27. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
  5. ↑ "Powerful SC Republican consultant Quinn, 4 others indicted by Grand Jury - News - GoUpstate - Spartanburg, SC". 2019-07-19. Archived from the original on 2019-07-19. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
  6. ↑ Shain, Andy (18 April 2019). "Richard Quinn indicted on perjury charges in SC Statehouse probe". Post and Courier. Archived from the original on 2019-07-03. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
  7. ↑ Wilks, Avery (July 2, 2021). "Richard Quinn, once a powerful SC GOP consultant, faces new charges in corruption probe". Post and Courier. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
  8. ↑ "Grand Jury Report" (PDF). 2019-07-26. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-07-26. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
  9. ↑ Monk, John (17 January 2020). "Corruption case against powerful SC GOP consultant Quinn still alive". The State. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
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