Overview
- Wright is scheduled to enter a guilty plea Thursday morning in Anderson to conspiracy to commit theft concerning programs receiving federal funds, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and obtaining controlled substances.
- The October 15 plea agreement requires him to relinquish all law-enforcement certifications and forecloses any future law-enforcement employment in the United States.
- Federal prosecutors say he diverted money from a benevolence fund meant for deputies and obtained opioids, including pills collected for destruction through a take-back program and purchases of oxycodone and hydrocodone.
- Court records indicate restitution of at least $440,000 and a combined statutory maximum approaching 30 years in prison, with sentencing to be set at a later date.
- Two former sheriff’s office employees have pleaded guilty in related cases, with ex-chaplain Amos Durham tied to more than $28,000 in theft and Lawson “L.B.” Watson paid over $200,000 for no work, as Wright also faces more than 60 state ethics charges over disputed county credit-card spending.