{{Short description|Former officeholder}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Rick Quinn | birth_name = Richard Quinn Jr. | office = Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives | term_start1 = November 8, 2010 | term_end1 = December 13, 2017 | predecessor1 = Ted Pitts Jr. | successor1 = Chris Wooten | constituency1 = 69th district | term_start2 = November 14, 1988 | term_end2 = November 9, 2004 | predecessor2 = H. Parker Evatt | successor2 = Nathan Ballentine | constituency2 = 71st district | office3 = Majority Leader of the South Carolina House of Representatives | term_start3 = 1999 | term_end3 = 2004 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|June 22, 1965}} | birth_place = Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. | party = Republican | partner = Amy McRae Benck | relations = Richard Quinn (father) }}
'''Richard Quinn Jr.''' is an American politician who served as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1988 to 2004 and again from 2010 to 2017.
== Early life and education == Quinn was born in Columbia, South Carolina. His father, Richard Quinn Sr., is a former political consultant. Rick Jr. graduated from the University of South Carolina.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Rick Quinn|url=https://ballotpedia.org/Rick_Quinn|access-date=2020-11-07|website=Ballotpedia|language=en}}</ref>
== Career == Quinn served as South Carolina House Majority Leader from 1999 to 2004.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scstatehouse.gov/member.php?code=1499999820|title=South Carolina Legislature Online - Member Biography|website=www.scstatehouse.gov|access-date=2019-12-15}}</ref> He played a role in the removal of the Confederate flag from the South Carolina State House in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2015/07/confederates-at-the-brink-119873.html|title=How the South Carolina House got to 'yes'|last=Schreckinger|first=Ben|website=POLITICO|language=en|access-date=2019-12-13}}</ref>
=== Conviction and resignation ===
On December 13, 2017, during the South Carolina Statehouse corruption investigation, he resigned from the South Carolina legislature after pleading guilty to a charge of misconduct while in office.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wltx.com/article/news/local/sc-lawmaker-rick-quinn-jr-pleads-guilty-to-misconduct/101-499220970|title=SC Lawmaker Rick Quinn Jr. Pleads Guilty to Misconduct|website=WLTX|access-date=2019-12-13}}</ref> The prosecutor, David Pascoe, had initially charged Quinn with two counts of misconduct, a charge of common law misconduct, and a charge of statutory law misconduct, but Quinn pleaded guilty to just one charge. Pascoe has been criticized for not taking Quinn to trial. Quinn was also charged with criminal conspiracy on October 28, 2017 but those chargers were dropped with the plea deal.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wltx.com/article/news/local/rep-rick-quinn-indicted-for-misconduct-suspended-from-office/101-440147705|title=Rep. Rick Quinn Indicted for Misconduct, Suspended from Office|website=WLTX|access-date=2019-12-14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thestate.com/news/local/crime/article179530756.html|title=Powerful Consultant Quinn indicted, four others charged|last=|first=|date=October 2017|website=The State|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019091958/http://www.thestate.com/news/local/crime/article179530756.html|archive-date=2017-10-19|access-date=}}</ref>
In 2018, the judge overseeing Quinn's sentencing gave him one year in prison, but suspended the order, ignoring the plea deal's recommended prison time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.postandcourier.com/news/former-s-c-house-majority-leader-rick-quinn-gets-probation/article_e2782c5a-0fac-11e8-a3fa-e75ab78cfd30.html|title=Former S.C. House Majority Leader Rick Quinn gets probation in misconduct case|last=Smith|first=Glenn|date=|website=Post and Courier|language=en|access-date=2019-12-14}}</ref> Instead, Quinn will have to do 500 hours of community service — “public service,” Circuit Court Judge Carmen Mullen said — and serve two years of probation after pleading guilty to one count of misdemeanor misconduct in office and was fined $1,000.<ref>{{cite news | publisher = thestate.com | date = February 13, 2018 | title = Ex-Rep. Rick Quinn gets probation, community service in State House corruption case | author = JOHN MONK | url = https://www.thestate.com/news/local/crime/article199632339.html }}</ref>
Prosecutor David Pascoe appealed his own plea deal with Rick Quinn Jr. to the South Carolina Supreme Court arguing that the initial judge overseeing the case had shown bias.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.postandcourier.com/politics/why-rick-quinn-s-statehouse-corruption-case-landed-in-sc/article_c7609682-e561-11e9-ba46-3b244b9fe13c.html|title=Why Rick Quinn's Statehouse corruption case landed in SC Supreme Court|last=Shain|first=Andy|date=October 2019|website=Post and Courier|language=en|access-date=2019-12-14}}</ref>
== References == <references />
==External links== *{{C-SPAN|82620}} {{s-start}} {{s-par|us-sc-hs}} {{s-bef|before=H. Parker Evatt}} {{s-ttl|title=Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives<br>from the 71st district|years=1988–2004}} {{s-aft|after=Nathan Ballentine}} |- {{s-bef|before=Edward H. "Ted" Pitts, Jr.}} {{s-ttl|title=Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives<br>from the 69th district|years=2010–2017}} {{s-aft|after=Chris Wooten}} {{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quinn, Richard}} Category:Living people Category:1965 births Category:South Carolina politicians convicted of crimes Category:21st-century members of the South Carolina General Assembly Category:20th-century members of the South Carolina General Assembly Category:Politicians from Columbia, South Carolina Category:University of South Carolina alumni
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