EX-TREASURER HAS UNTIL AUGUST TO REPORT TO PRISON

COLUMBIA -- Former state Treasurer Thomas Ravenel's bid to avoid
significant prison time collapsed in federal court Friday when a judge
sentenced him to 10 months behind bars.

His co-defendant and cocaine supplier, Michael L. Miller, also
received a 10-month term, but it was Ravenel who left the courtroom
upset after his lawyers made repeated pleas for leniency.

Defense attorney Gedney Howe suggested that if the case were being
held in state court, a first-offense charge for cocaine use might draw
less than a slap on the wrist.

The argument failed to fully convince U.S. District Judge Joseph
Anderson Jr., who from the bench quoted one female source as saying
Ravenel allegedly used cocaine at 27 of 30 parties held at his
downtown Charleston home. "We have an awful lot of cocaine parties at
the house of a state constitutional officer," Anderson said.

Friday's four-hour hearing revealed a number of new insights into the
drug investigation that forced Ravenel from office last year. Top
among them were repeated efforts by prosecutors to hide details of
what they said is an ongoing probe of the Charleston cocaine scene.

New details also came to light about Ravenel's own cocaine use, which
reportedly started when he was 18 and led to a sporadic habit which,
at its height, saw him use 1 to 2 grams every couple of weeks. He also
sampled other drugs, including marijuana and Ecstasy, according to
portions of a report provided to the judge.

according to portions of a report provided to the judge. Friends and
family members pointed out that Ravenel's drug use was something they
never saw and was out of character for a brother and friend who became
a millionaire developer through his own hard work, and later a
high-ranking Republican politician. One of his sisters called him "the
golden boy that so suddenly fell from grace."

Ravenel in September pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy with
intent to distribute cocaine. Authorities say he used and shared the
drug but did not sell it, and after-hour parties were common.

Bad behavior The 45-year-old Ravenel, who sometimes sat alone in
court, briefly addressed the judge, repeating his apologies from last
year.

"I brought embarrassment, being a public official, to the state," he
said, adding that voters "had a right to expect better conduct, better
behavior, from me." He declined to answer questions from the media.

His father, longtime Charleston area politician and school board
member Arthur Ravenel Jr., expressed disappointment but said the
family respects the judge's decision. He had called Thomas "a model
son." Ravenel now has as much as five months to report to a yet-to-be
determined federal prison, which is a longer reporting period than
normal. Anderson gave the additional time in case Ravenel's
cooperation leads to significant arrests or drug busts that warrant a
decrease in his jail time. On Friday, authorities repeatedly praised
the information Ravenel has provided so far about the Charleston drug
world as they requested a downward departure from the sentencing
guidelines. The 10 months was toward the bottom of the range for a
first-time offender. Though rarely given, the maximum would have been
20 years. He also faces three years of probation. Anderson
additionally fined Ravenel $221,323.69 and ordered him to reimburse
the state of South Carolina the $28,676.31 tab for holding a special
session of the Legislature in August to pick a successor. Former
Republican lawmaker Converse Chellis of Summerville replaced Ravenel.

The idea for the restitution came from the watchdog group Common
Cause. South Carolina chapter Executive Director John Crangle praised
the decision, saying that Ravenel made victims of more than 4 million
South Carolinians in a deceitful 2006 political campaign.

"He did not represent himself as the Thomas Ravenel he really was at
the time," Crangle said.

Crangle said he was disappointed that Ravenel hadn't taken out his
checkbook months ago to repay the state, and he said Ravenel did so
only when forced. "Ravenel's conduct does not show true remorse," he
said. "The judge basically put the screws to him."

Co-defendant's case In the federal courthouse, Ravenel and his
co-defendant and drug supplier Miller briefly stood next to each as
they switched seats during the changeover of their cases being called.

They didn't acknowledge each other's presence. Miller, 26, a deejay
and 2000 Hanahan High School graduate who is living in Mount Pleasant,
also faced about 10-16 months for his involvement in the case. In
September he pleaded guilty to conspiracy with intent to distribute
cocaine and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. He received
10 months for each, to be served at the same time.

Anderson said part of the reason behind the 10-month sentence for
Miller was Miller's decision not to inform his probation officer about
being charged with fighting with a police officer. The incident came
after a drunken taxicab ride from a Charleston bar to a Mount Pleasant
restaurant in November. The drunken swing happened three days after
Anderson gave Miller a few breaks during a court proceeding, such no
longer requiring him to wear an electronic monitoring device that was
an earlier condition of bail. Miller's public defender, Langdon Long,
said the incident was out of character for Miller.

A government prosecutor said that after Miller was first questioned
about the cocaine probe, he tried to call Ravenel about the unfolding
investigation, "but Mr. Ravenel would not take his calls." In his
argument for leniency, Long called upon Miller and his family to plea
before the judge. His mother, Lavern Cheek, is an Air Force veteran
who works at Target and his stepfather, Calvin Cheek, is a truck
driver. Education is a priority to the family, Long said, adding that
Miller has taken courses at Trident Technical College. He has a
brother who recently graduated summa cum laude from the University of
South Carolina, a sister who is an honor student at the Art Institute
of Charleston and twin sisters at Wando High School. Miller suffered
hearing loss that also has held him back, his mother said.

"This is a person with a strong network who is on his way to being a
productive citizen," Long said.

Miller showed remorse. "What I did was wrong. I regret it," he said.
"I did it because that's what kids do. I thought it was cool. I'm
sorry. I guess that's all I have to say about it."

Even though both men received 10-month sentences, Miller could find
himself free long before Ravenel. He already has spent three months in
the Charleston County jail and is expected to receive credit for time
served. "We got a fair hearing," Long said.

NAACP reacts After the hearing, Lonnie Randolph, president of the
South Carolina State Conference of the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People, said justice was served, despite
concerns that Ravenel's stature would lead to an unfair advantage in
the courtroom.

"Usually when that occurs, the dollar signs win," Randolph said. "The
system worked the way it's supposed to work."

A third suspect, Pasquale Pellicoro, a Charleston-area wine expert, is
at large after failing to report for his court arraignment. When
reached by phone on the day of his first scheduled court appearance in
September, Pellicoro told The Post and Courier he had sought refuge in
Switzerland.