Columbia, South Carolina---- Acting United States Attorney Kevin F. McDonald stated that Anna Margaret Chappelle, age 56, of Columbia, pled guilty today to conspiracy to commit extortion. Chappelle’s co-defendant, former SLED Agent William Renard “Ray” Gourdine pled guilty earlier this month to the same charge.

Chappelle was an associate of Gourdine, who was a Special Agent with SLED from approximately June 2005 until January 2008. Chappelle and Gourdine became the focus of a joint investigation by the FBI and SLED last September after agents learned that with Chappelle’s assistance, Gourdine had received cash payments from a third party to provide protection for an illegal video poker business. Chappelle was confronted by agents and admitted her involvement in the scheme, and agreed to assist against Gourdine. Investigators provided cash to Chappelle, and asked her to offer it to Gourdine in exchange for internal SLED information on video poker cases. On four separate occasions Gourdine accepted the cash from Chappelle, and made attempts to learn details of the SLED investigations. Agents were able to capture incriminating information from the monitored meetings and recorded phone calls between Chappelle and Gourdine, who received approximately $3,200.00 in the illegal payments.

The maximum penalty Chappelle faces is twenty years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.00. Both Chappelle and Gourdine will be sentenced at a later date.

The case was investigated by the FBI and SLED. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Deborah B. Barbier and Mark C. Moore of the Columbia office prosecuted the case.