Will Complete Sentence of One Year and One Day in West Virginia Federal Prison Camp
Former Greenville County Councilman Tony Trout from Greer will complete his year and a day prison sentence for conviction on federal charges of wiretapping and computer spying on August 5th, 2010 and will be released from a West Virginia Federal Prison.
Once released, Trout will face Jury Tampering charges in South Carolina for allegedly attempting to influence a member or members of a Greenville County Grand Jury.
Trout was removed from office as a member of Greenville County Council before completing his first term, when he was charged with the federal crime. His election and service on Council was laced with controversy.
Trout sought the office by promising to vote in favor of a mandatory paid Martin Luther King holiday for all Greenville County employees that had been opposed by all Republican incumbents and candidates and a majority of county employees. He won the Republican Primary election by attracting crossover Democrat voters.
After the election, as a member of Greenville County Council, Trout had several conflicts with county employees, including alleged threats to at least one female employee of the county.
His federal conviction stemmed from his use of special software to hack into the computer of the County Administrator and taking information that he posted on his personal web site. Some of the material was personal in nature.
The pending charges are related to Trout’s alleged involvement with a Greenville County Grand Jury as he attempted to get support for his allegations that Greenville County was violating state law in the award of contracts.