COLUMBIA - South Carolina's agriculture commissioner pleaded innocent Thursday to charges of taking payoffs to protect a cockfighting ring.
Charles Sharpe, 65, was indicted on charges including extortion and money laundering. He was accused of accepting at least $20,000 from an organization involved in breeding and raising birds for cockfighting in exchange for helping the group avoid legal trouble.
Posted by Webmaster at July 30, 2004 12:28 AM