Since December 2023, Richland County has spent over $600,000 on lawyers hired after the U.S. Department of Justice opened an investigation into the county’s troubled jail.
Records obtained by The State newspaper show that the county was billed $679,331.84 for legal work performed by two prominent law firms — Maynard Nexsen and the Wyche Law Firm — hired by the county officials to conduct their own investigation into the jail and coordinated with Justice Department investigators, according to a statement released Thursday.
From Dec. 4, 2023, to Aug. 5, 2024, the Wyche Law Firm billed the county $411,942.82. Maynard Nexsen billed the county $267,389.02 from Feb. 12, 2024 to Aug. 13…