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The former leader of a rural South Carolina municipal chamber of commerce was arrested this week and charged with multiple courts of fraudulent financial activity.
According to a news release from the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED), 63-year-old Timothy Dewayne Griffin of Tulsa, Oklahoma was arrested on Thursday (April 24, 2025) and charged with three counts of breach of trust with fraudulent intent.
Griffin was head of the Pageland, S.C. chamber of commerce from 2021-2023. Prior to that, he served on the organization’s board. During that time, he allegedly stole tens of thousands of dollars from the organization – including cash withdrawals totaling $50,000 and numerous purchases of a personal nature using chamber credit cards. These purchases allegedly included an estimated $14,000 in repair work on a 2002 Porsche Boxster.
In addition to criminal charges, Griffin is facing a civil lawsuit from Ethan Foard – a member of the chamber who also holds a seat on Chesterfield County council. According to Foard’s complaint (.pdf), Griffin “made regular expenditures for personal use or gain without the board’s knowledge or approval” during his tenure at the helm of the small-town “economic development” group. This led to the granting of a temporary injunction against the chamber in December 2023 with an accounting ordered “on all chamber accounts and assets.”
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“Initial investigations revealed suspicious transactions dating back to April 18, 2019, shortly after Griffin was elected to the chamber board of directors,” the lawsuit alleged.
According to probable cause affidavits accompanying the warrants for Griffin’s arrest, he stands accused of “wrongfully using” money belonging to the chamber in each of his three years as president of the organization – 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Each individual affidavit referenced the amount of money allegedly misappropriated as being more than $10,000.
The criminal allegations against Griffin were based on “witness statements” as well as “Griffin’s statements to SLED in recorded interviews” and chamber of commerce financial records “obtained during the investigation.”
Breach of trust with fraudulent intent is a violation of the S.C. Code of Laws § 16-13-230(A). All three charges filed against him are felonies – and carry potential prison sentences of up to ten years (apiece) and fines at the discretion of the sentencing judge.
As with anyone accused of committing any crime, Griffin is considered innocent until proven guilty by our criminal justice system – or until such time as he may wish to enter some form of allocution in connection with a plea agreement with prosecutors related to any of the charges filed against him.
News of Griffin’s alleged theft was first reported by Jody Barr of Queen City News. According to Barr, Griffin moved to Tulsa during the course of the investigation.
Griffin was booked at the Chesterfield County detention center but was shortly thereafter released on bond and permitted to return to Oklahoma while the charges against him are pending. His case will be prosecuted by the office of S.C. attorney general Alan Wilson.
Located less than three miles south of the border with North Carolina, Pageland is home to an estimated 2,500 people. It is known for its annual Watermelon Festival, held on the third weekend in July.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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