Associate of Horry County councilman charged with stealing nearly half a million dollars
A long-time associate and a former campaign manager of Horry County Council Chairman Johnny Gardner was arrested Wednesday and charged with stealing close to half a million dollars from an estate he was managing.
Luther “Luke” Allen Barefoot, 60, was charged by South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) officials with two counts of breach of trust with fraudulent Intent for the value of $10,000 or more, according to a news release sent Thursday.
Gardner did not respond to a request for comment. Roger Slagle, Horry County’s GOP chairman, declined to comment.
An arrest warrant states that between late 2016 to early 2020, Barefoot opened a checking account at Anderson Brothers Bank and transferred about $400,000 from the estate’s checking account into his own personal account at the bank for personal use.
A second arrest warrant says that Barefoot removed nearly $65,000 for personal use. About $35,000 was deposited and transferred to one of his own companies, Laurel Street Enterprises. Approximately $29,000 was transferred to Call The Man LLC, which Barefoot owns as well.
Each arrest warrant states that the facts are reliable and are gathered from Anderson Brothers Bank financial records and multiple witness interviews. The warrants also say there is no evidence that shows Barefoot or anyone on his behalf intended to pay the money back.
Barefoot, from Conway, was booked at the J. Ruben Long Detention Center in Horry County Wednesday afternoon after the Conway Police Department asked South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, SLED, officials to investigate the matter.
Barefoot and Gardner were previously investigated by SLED in 2018 for allegations of extortion, which both denied doing. Gardner eventually admitted to six violations of state ethics rules from his 2018 campaign and paid a fine.
According to Horry County bookings, no bail has been set. The case will be prosecuted by the South Carolina Attorney General’s office.
