SC man stole more than $44,000 from nonprofit and spent it on himself, SLED says

A Columbia man was arrested for stealing more than $44,000 from the nonprofit where he was executive director, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

Darrel President Sr., 56, was charged on Oct. 16 with breach of trust with fraudulent intent ($10,000 or more), SLED said in a news release.

Between May 19, 2023 and February 29, 2024, the president took money from the Greenbrier Resource Community Development Center and spent the money on “his personal enrichment,” according to an arrest warrant and affidavit shared by SLED.

“Darrel President knowingly, knowingly and without the lawful authority to do so, withdrew more than $10,000 from the Greenbrier Resource Community Development Center, where he was an authorized signatory on (the nonprofit’s) bank account and in a position of financial trust,” according to an arrest warrant.

The money — about $44,220 — was seized after the nonprofit received $100,000 in state-funded grants to build a community center in Fairfield County, the affidavit said.

According to the affidavit, the president withdrew the money from the nonprofit’s bank account without the permission or knowledge of the organization’s board members.

It did not say what personal items the president bought with the stolen money or whether it had all been spent.

When the president was questioned by the nonprofit’s board members, he admitted to withdrawing the money and agreed to pay it back, the affidavit said.

“The President began returning the funds that were fraudulently withdrawn in June 2024,” the statement said.

SLED said the president was booked into the Fairfield County Detention Center. Information about the president’s bond was not available.

The president will be prosecuted by the 6th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

If convicted of the felony charge, the president could face up to 10 years in prison under South Carolina law.

In 2018 and again in 2022, the president ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Richland 2 school board.