Spartanburg Fire Chief Pierre Brewton has been placed on paid administrative leave while a third-party review examines questions about a business he owns outside his city job, according to city officials. Assistant Chief Will Smart has stepped in as interim fire chief during the review.
City Manager Chris Story told fire department employees that Brewton would be on administrative leave pending an independent review of questions about his personal business, according to the Post and Courier. The city's email did not clarify whether FSC Enterprises was the business in question, who would conduct the review, or whether the leave was paid, the paper reported. City officials said they were unaware of Brewton's business until a reporter brought it to their attention. Neither Story nor Spartanburg official Christopher George immediately responded to requests for comment, per the same account.
SLED confirmed it was looking into the matter after Brewton had been placed on leave. SLED said it was aware of allegations involving Brewton's PPP loan and was reviewing tips provided to the agency, the outlet reported, describing its inquiry as a review of tips rather than a formal investigation or finding of wrongdoing.
The Loan, the Business, and the Paper Trail
FSC Enterprises was approved for a $169,707 Paycheck Protection Program loan in June 2020, the report says. SBA records cited in the report show $127,280.25 of that sum was intended for payroll covering four employees, with the remaining $42,426.75 designated for utilities. At the time, PPP loans were designed to cover eight to 24 weeks of operations, according to the same report.
South Carolina Secretary of State records show Brewton set up FSC Enterprises LLC in 2008, and he is listed as the company's registered agent, per the account. The only physical address tied to the business in either SBA or Secretary of State records is a 918-square-foot home on Westover Drive in Spartanburg, in addition to a UPS box, the report notes, adding that FSC Enterprises has no apparent online presence.
Whether the company is still operating is in dispute. Story said the business is no longer operating, telling the outlet, “It is no longer operating, from what I understand,” while the South Carolina Secretary of State's website lists FSC Enterprises as active and in good standing. Story also said FSC Enterprises never did business with the City of Spartanburg.
What Charged-Off Status Does and Doesn't Mean
The SBA database categorized the loan as charged off, a status the news organization explains means the loan has not been repaid and the applicant business is in default, closed, or bankrupt. Charged-off status does not mean the loan was forgiven, the outlet emphasized. The federal government's broader handling of PPP debt has drawn scrutiny before: the SBA's Office of Inspector General reported that the agency charged off more than 203,000 loans totaling $7.3 billion between July 23, 2021, and Dec. 31, 2022, according to the same report.
PPP lending was also widespread locally. A PPP directory tracking federal data reports that 3,038 loans were distributed to businesses in Spartanburg County, with 40,131 jobs reported as retained, and estimates that between $273,161,796 and $522,661,796 was loaned to businesses countywide, per ppp.directory. Under the program's original rules, the U.S. Small Business Administration says eligible expenses included payroll costs and certain utility services, provided those utility services had begun before February 15, 2020.
Brewton's Path Back to Spartanburg
Brewton received the PPP loan during the summer of 2020, a period when he was working outside Spartanburg. He had previously served as assistant chief of the Spartanburg Fire Department before leaving to become Albemarle, North Carolina's fire chief in January 2020, a post he held until mid-March 2024, when he returned to Spartanburg. He started as Spartanburg's fire chief on March 18, 2024, and has led the department since, as reported by goupstate.com.
SLED's review and the city's independent inquiry remain ongoing, and no findings of wrongdoing have been reported. Assistant Chief Will Smart continues to serve as interim fire chief while the reviews proceed.
