NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – Another of the eight people who faced charges in connection with a North Charleston corruption probe in February has entered multiple guilty pleas.
Michelle Stent-Hilton pleaded guilty Friday in a plea agreement to charges of conspiracy to commit bribery with respect to programs receiving federal funds and honest service wire fraud, theft with respect to programs receiving federal funds, bribery with respect to programs receiving federal funds, honest services wire fraud, and money laundering, according to court documents.
Stent-Hilton originally entered not guilty pleas to the charges she faced on March 11.
Eight people, including three former North Charleston City Council members and five others, whom the U.S. Attorney’s Office and FBI, described as their associates, were charged in February of 2025.
Stent-Hilton’s alleged involvement in the corruption scheme pertains to her involvement as a nonprofit leader of DEEP SC and personal assistant to former North Charleston City Councilman Jerome Heyward.
In April of 2022, the City of North Charleston began discussing distributing funds to nonprofits in an effort to reduce violent crime through “violence reduction grants.”
Court documents state two nonprofits specifically told Heyward they would give him kickbacks if they were awarded the grant. Those nonprofits are Core4Success and Developing, Educating and Empowering People SC, otherwise known as DEEP SC.
Heyward did not disclose any agreements with Stent-Hilton when the matter was presented to the committee and put to a vote. In exchange for support, court documents state Stent-Hilton agreed to pay Heyward 20 percent of any monies their non-profits received from North Charleston.
All of that money would be laundered through Emily Rose Lorenzo’s nonprofit, Lorenzo Financial Services out of North Carolina, prosecutors said.
The City of North Charleston issued checks for $100,000 each to DEEP SC and Core4Success on Dec. 15, 2022. Of that money, $40,000 was sent to Lorenzo Financial the next week and a few days later, investigators say the money was wired to Heyward’s checking account.
Of the $40,000 sent to Lorenzo Financial, Stent-Hilton is accused of laundering $20,000.
Had she been convicted on all of the charges she initially faced, Stent-Hilton faced a maximum sentence of 85 years in prison and $2 million in fines.
Heyward and fellow former North Charleston City Councilman Sandino Moses, nonprofit founder Donavan Moten and Lobbyist Aaron Hicks, pleaded guilty to the charges they faced on Feb. 28.
Hason “Tory” Fields, who pleaded not guilty to the charges he faced in March, agreed to plead guilty last month to charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery and wire fraud.
North Councilman Mike A. Brown and Rose Lorenzo have pleaded not guilty to the charges they face. Gov. Henry McMaster issued Executive Order 2025-09, suspending Brown from office until he is formally acquitted, convicted, or a successor is elected and qualifies as provided by law, whichever comes first.
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