WATCH: Bond set for former Richland One Procurement Manager in P-card investigation indictments

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Travis Antonio Braddy was in bond court Thursday afternoon after being arrested by SLED. Braddy was indicted in a P-card investigation. Bond was set for Braddy at a $50,000 personal bond.

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SLED agents arrested a former procurement manager from the Richland One school district in an investigation into P-cards.

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said Travis Antonio Braddy is indicted on twelve counts by the South Carolina Grand Jury. The indictments allege Braddy abused school resources and used his position to use school funds for personal use. In total, the indictments say $23,171.41 in public funds were misused.

The 43-year-old Braddy resigned from his position on May 27, 2021. The district demanded it on grounds of insubordination.

He is currently in custody and housed at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.

Richland One spokesperson Karen York issued a statement in response to Wilson’s announcement,

“The discrepancies were discovered through our system of internal controls and checks and balances. We turned over what we found through our investigation to law enforcement. As an added measure, there are different levels of authorization for P-Card holders depending on the positions they hold in the district and their purchasing needs.”

Braddy is indicted on:

• One count of misconduct in Office
• Three counts of embezzlement, value less than $10,000
• One count of embezzlement value more than $10,000
• Four counts of use of official position for personal gain
• Three counts of forgery

Counts one through eight allege he used public funds to book rooms for himself at a Columbia area Hilton Garden Inn using P-cards for non-school purposes. He is further alleged to have forged invoices from the hotel which were turned in to the district.

He allegedly used the invoices to claim the school money spent on the hotel rooms was used for buying excess personal protective equipment from the hotel for the school to use during the pandemic. Investigators say this fraud moved $3,358.16 in public money to his personal use.

Counts one, nine, and ten say Braddy rented a 2020 GMC Yukon for personal use. The money had been approved to rent a box truck to deliver protective equipment for the school to use. Braddy continued to use the truck even after his resignation. Investigators said the entire bill was sent to the district. This cost $10,425.25 in public funds.

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Counts one, 11, and 12 allege Braddy used a false purchase order to justify the payment to a sham company. Investigators said the account and company were under the control of someone closely connected to him. This allowed $9,388 of public money to be used for personal purposes.

If convicted he faces up to 54 years in prison.

Attorney General Wilson said,

“Overuse of P-cards and lax enforcement of procurement policies and procedures can lead to misuse of taxpayer money meant to benefit the schoolchildren of our state,”

“This office will continue to be aggressive in following up on allegations of school P-card and procurement abuse throughout South Carolina.”

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