Title IV-D Fraud: South Carolina’s Child Support “Incentive” Program or Judicial Slush Fund?
The federal Title IV-D child support program was designed to help children, not line officials’ pockets. But in South Carolina, indictments against former clerks Sharon Staggers and Becky Hill expose a darker reality — federal “incentive” dollars fueling corruption. Prosecutors say Staggers siphoned $120,000 and Hill misused $20,000, both from Title IV-D funds. Critics argue the program rewards aggressive enforcement, inflated orders, and contempt threats — turning child support into a cash machine for courts and agencies. For fathers like William Sewell, these revelations raise serious questions about whether profit, not justice, drives family court decisions.