Former BCSD Chief Financial Officer faces new state charges for embezzlement and forgery

Officials with the Berkeley County School District (BCSD) were informed by the South Carolina (SC) Attorney General’s Office that the State Grand Jury issued a new indictment against former BCSD Chief Financial Officer Brantley D. Thomas, III. The State Grand Jury returned 14 counts, 13 embezzlement and 1 forgery, against Thomas for additional monies embezzled than what he previously confessed to the FBI in February 2017. These new charges resulted from the district’s continued cooperation with the Attorney General over the past 6 months and the State Grand Jury’s continued investigation of district records dating back to the early 2000s. The three State Grand Jury indictments total $665,842.98, with overall monies embezzled totaling more than $1 million.

 

Sally Wofford, Chairwoman of the Berkeley County School Board, said, “We are grateful to the Attorney General’s Statewide Grand Jury’s Office for their perseverance and continued commitment of time and resources to expose Thomas’s complicated schemes and fraudulent activities. When this

 

Board first learned of the federal investigation in February 2017, we took decisive action to terminate the district’s financial auditors, hire forensic auditors, order general counsel to begin an internal investigation and fully cooperate with the law enforcement investigation. We appreciate the efforts of our district staff, especially the finance department, to support this ongoing investigation. Though it has been a difficult 16 months, BCSD has proven its resilience, and we will continue to do whatever is necessary to ensure the stability and success of our district. This Board remains committed to cooperating with law enforcement to discover all wrongdoing and recover all monies stolen by Brantley Thomas.”