State Grand Jury Issues Indictment Alleging Money Laundering

(COLUMBIA, SC) - Nov. 15, 2018 - South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced today that the South Carolina State Grand Jury has issued an indictment alleging money laundering and a crime related to money laundering.

On November 14, 2018, the State Grand Jury charged Brantley D. Thomas, III with two counts - alleging money laundering and breach of trust with fraudulent intent [as a crime related to money laundering].

Breach of Trust with Fraudulent Intent [count #1] alleges that, sometime between March 12, 2017 and September 7, 2018 in Charleston County, while THOMAS was entrusted with taking cash deposits from his employer for deposit to the employer’s bank account – THOMAS instead converted at least $34,000 of those funds to his personal use.

Additionally, count #1 alleges that, sometime between May 23, 2017 and June 26, 2017, THOMAS unlawfully converted to his personal use approximately $2,657.23 by improperly presenting his employer with checks for processing under the guise that they were for payment of legitimate employer expenditures – instead, the checks were used to pay the servicer of one of THOMAS’s personal credit cards.

Money Laundering [count #2] alleges that, sometime between May 26, 2018 and September 7, 2018 in Charleston County, THOMAS conducted one or more financial transactions converting approximately $998.34 of cash obtained from unlawful activity into three Postal Money Orders in order to disguise the source of funds THOMAS used as payment for a vehicle loan in his name.

These new charges are for alleged crimes that occurred after Thomas was fired by the Berkeley County School District for multiple charges of embezzlement of public funds.

The case will be prosecuted by State Grand Jury Section Chief Attorney General S. Creighton Waters and Senior Assistant Attorney General Brian Petrano.

Attorney General Wilson stressed that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.