Former Colleton Co. lieutenant pleads guilty to lying to feds

CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - A former lieutenant with the Colleton County Sheriff's Office pleaded guilty to giving false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday.

Fred Allen Inabinett will face up to five years in federal prison and could be forced to pay a fine up to $250,000. He will be sentenced in 60 to 90 days, according to Assistant United States Attorney Alston Badger.

Prosecutors say Inabinett told a suspected drug trafficker he was being followed by federal agents in November 2011, and when questioned by FBI investigators, denied doing so.  Telephone calls intercepted from the drug dealer's phone showed that Inabinett was not truthful in what he told the FBI about his conversations with the drug dealer.

Inabinett was indicted in June. On Tuesday on the way into court, he told Reporter Harve Jacobs, "It's messed up."

Copyright 2012 WCSC. All rights reserved.