Operation Lost Trust: The Tim Wilkes Story

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — “I was a hedonist, you know, playing that role,” says Tim Wilkes, former South Carolina Representative In 1990, Tim Wilkes found himself living in Winnsboro, a freshman state Representative and someone who seemed to have it all. But, in July of 1990, that all changed with a visit from a set of federal agents. “They said they were having this investigation and that I was not the target so to speak, but they needed to see my books and records and stuff,” says Wilkes At the time Wilkes didn’t know, but other federal agents had visited the offices of other state lawmakers at the same time, asking the same questions. For his part, Wilkes says he was confused especially after watching the story unfold on local television that night. “They put this hundred dollar bill up there on the tv and had my picture, my picture right there in the center of it like I‘m some kind of ring… Hell, I was a freshman legislature. I was still wet behind the ears. But, they had my picture on there and I thought, God, they must be after me,” says Wilkes He, and others, also didn’t know they had been recorded taking money from then lobbyist, Ron Cobb. Wilkes professes the money was a campaign contribution, but the prosecution claimed otherwise. Wilkes says prosecutors offered to make a deal with him in return for two things. “You have to plead guilty and you have to lend us substantial assistance which means set-up your buddies,” says Wilkes “Seeing those people testify against their friends was probably the thing that hurt me the most of all,” says Wilkes And so Wilkes refused. “I told Bart Daniel I would never, ever plead guilty to something I didn‘t do,” says Wilkes Wilkes would have to take a trip down I-26 to Charleston to find his defense attorney, a man by the name of Gedney Howe. “From the very beginning he said, “They are going to indict your case.” I said, “They can‘t, I haven‘t done anything wrong.” He said, “I can tell you right now, they are going to indict your case,” says Wilkes “He was a very visible, vocal member of the legislature and he was certainly a target of the government as one of the individuals they wanted to convict,” says Howe From his law office in downtown Charleston, we sat down with Gedney Howe to discuss his role in defending Tim Wilkes. “It was much like David and Goliath. I mean fighting the government is a big deal and a hard thing to do,” says Howe Wilkes says Howe had a say in just about everything he did, even what he wore to court from his suit to his glasses. “I made him take out his blue contacts. I took his old glasses, you know he‘s a CPA, and I took and put some tape on the corner of his glasses like a nerd. But, I didn‘t put it on the side facing the jury because I didn‘t want them to think it was too obvious. I put it on the side away from the jury so they could sort of discover it, you see?,” says Howe On September 24, 1991, Tim Wilkes was found not guilty. He was the only person indicted in Operation Lost Trust to actually beat the charge. “I‘m relieved, very much to say I‘m relieved and very happy. I just thank God that the jurors had the guidance to see that I was innocent,” said Wilkes in 1991 when talking to reporters following the verdict. The Wilkes case caught the attention of author Ben Greer. Greer wrote the book, “Presumed Guilty: The Tim Wilkes Story.” “I saw myself as trying to tell Tim‘s story. I didn‘t know if he was guilty or not. It was my role to defend him and tell his story,” says Greer In 1992, lawmakers passed the Ethics Reform Act. The law made it illegal for a lobbyist to even buy a lawmaker a cup of coffee. Wilkes went back to the legislature and served until 2009. He now owns an antique shop in Winnsboro and he’s working to get it ready for the public. He says to this day he still thinks about Lost Trust. “If I have a decision I have to make and I‘m looking at right and I‘m looking at wrong, I look at it differently now than I did back then because I know there‘s accountability,” says Wilkes.