Columbia mayor among those praising character of ex-trustee

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin is among those who have written to a federal judge considering the sentence for a former South Carolina State University trustee embroiled in a kickback scandal.

Court papers filed by defense attorneys quote the mayor as praising Jonathan Pinson’s commitment to his family and work with nonprofits.

Pinson was convicted last year on 29 counts including racketeering, kickbacks and money laundering. Authorities say Pinson skimmed federal money going to projects, then filed false paperwork to get more money from the government.

He potentially faces more than a decade in prison and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines when he’s sentenced next month, although his lawyers say he should get far less. Benjamin has done business with Pinson but was not charged in the case.

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Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP