Tom Sponseller, former director of the S.C. Hospitality Association, might have had a sexual relationship with the accountant who pleaded guilty to embezzling money from the organization, prosecutors said Wednesday in federal court.
Prosecutors said they found sexually-oriented photos of accountant Rachel Duncan on Sponseller's computer, according to a report from WIS.
Duncan was in federal court in Columbia to plead guilty to wire fraud and tax evasion charges, according to the report. She is accused of taking more than $480,000 from the association to use for online gambling.
But prosecutors found no indication that Sponseller received any of the stolen money, according to the Assoicated Press.
Duncan worked closely with Sponseller, after federal officials started investigating the missing money.
Sponseller wrote in his suicide note that Duncan confessed to him about the embezzlement, but he never mentioned a sexual relationship with her.
Duncan, who is out on bond, faces up to 23 years in prison and up to $350,000 in fines, according to WIS.
I'm sure you're right, that this is difficult for everyone involved. But it's also important that we try to make sense of the tragic stories that happen in our community. And that is what this article is trying to do. Chris Winston Regional Editor for S.C. Patch
If your job was a Reporter and you were assigned to cover this man and his story would you refuse?