3rd man sought in Ravenel drug case

FBI searching for Pellicoro overseas, U.S. attorney says

Next week’s sentencing of former state Treasurer Thomas Ravenel has been postponed, while the U.S. Attorney for South Carolina remains optimistic that the third figure in the cocaine case will be brought to justice.

Pasquale Pellicoro, a one-time local wine expert and Ravenel friend, hasn’t been heard from since September and is believed to be living in Europe.

U.S. Attorney Reggie Lloyd said Wednesday that he expects Pellicoro to be located and that the FBI has been working with overseas authorities to find him.

“They do have some leads,” he said. “We hope at some point very soon to have him do the right thing and come face these allegations.”

Pellicoro, a native of Italy, was 53 when he fled South Carolina in September shortly after he was named in a charge of conspiracy with intent to distribute cocaine. After claiming he was in Switzerland, he has not been heard from since. He was not required to surrender his passport before his arraignment, officials said. His cell phone is no longer in service.

Lloyd said he knows of no one who is representing Pellicoro’s interests in the case, such as a lawyer, either in the U.S. or overseas.

“You can only hide for so long,” said Lloyd, who recently was nominated by Gov. Mark Sanford to lead the State Law Enforcement Division.

Lloyd’s comments came as Monday’s scheduled sentencing for Ravenel and co-defendant Michael Miller was moved back. One of the case agents is out of the state on assignment and wouldn’t be able to appear next week, prosecutors said. They asked for a delay of 30 days.

U.S. District Judge Joseph F. Anderson Jr. agreed to the move. A new date will be announced later.

Ravenel pleaded guilty in September to one count of conspiracy with intent to distribute cocaine. He resigned his treasurer’s post in June after just a few months on the job. Prosecutors said Ravenel used the drug during parties at his home in Charleston but did not sell it. Miller, a local deejay, pleaded guilty to conspiracy with intent to distribute cocaine and possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

Pellicoro earlier said he’d met Ravenel at a language school years ago when Pellicoro was instructing him in French. He later became part of a circle of people who would congregate with Ravenel at homes in Charleston after the bars closed, he said.

Lloyd said the case won’t necessarily end once Ravenel and Miller are sentenced, saying others might be targeted in what started out as an investigation into the cocaine problem in Charleston.

“The arrests and indictments of these individuals do not represent the sum total of our efforts,” Lloyd said.

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2008/jan/24/rd_man_sought_ravenel_drug_case28486/

Thomas Ravenel Sentencing Postponed

Federal prosecutors have asked to postpone Monday’s scheduled sentencing for former state Treasurer Thomas Ravenel, saying one of the case agents won’t be available.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Supervisory Special Agent Robert Waizenhofer is out of the district on assignment and wouldn’t be able to appear.

Officials asked for a continuance of 30 days. The request also includes the sentencing for Ravenel co-defendant Michael L. Miller. Attorneys for both defendants do not object to the delay, a court filing said.

The two men have pleaded guilty to cocaine charges.

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2008/jan/23/ravenel_sentencing_postponed/

January 15, 2008

Ravenel, Co-defendant in Drug Case to be Sentenced

COLUMBIA (AP) — Former South Carolina Treasurer Thomas Ravenel will be sentenced January 28 on a federal cocaine charge.

Ravenel pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine in September. He faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine, though his plea agreement calls for a reduced sentence because he is helping prosecutors with their investigation.

Ravenel’s attorneys have argued in court documents that he should not be given any prison time.

The U.S. attorney’s office says Ravenel will be sentenced on January 28 along with his co-defendant, Michael Miller, of Charleston.

Miller admitted to selling cocaine to Ravenel, who shared it with friends. Miller pleaded guilty to two federal drug charges.

http://www.wltx.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=57385

But it is more than a story about a “hit list”, it is a tome about hidden money and the secret world of high finance and politics. Millions and millions of dollars are raised and though their spending is found fortune, power and glory. I can only hope that others will investigate this affair, and determine WHO and WHY these millions of dollars have been so quietly given to Mark Sanford and his crony’s.