Well-known Lexington County man arrested and charged with embezzling from 2 groups he held leadership positions with

Lexington, SC 07/12/2024 (Paul Kirby) – Craig Thomas Caldwell, 42, has been arrested by the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department after the completion of an investigation by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) into allegations that he was embezzling from 2 organizations he helped lead over the years.

Caldwell was the chairman of the Lexington County Republican Party (LCRP), a position he held from 2016 until he was replaced in 2023. SLED agents allege that during that period of time, Caldwell stole $61,591 from the LCRP funds by transferring money from the Party’s bank account to his personal account. In total, Caldwell did this 147 times starting in 2018 and ending in 2023.

Agents say that Caldwell admitted to them that he got away with this by creating and presenting phony treasurer’s reports. He gave those to the members and leadership at Party business meetings which are usually held monthly.

Other warrants allege that this was not Caldwell’s only case of stealing from an organization he belonged to. SLED agents say that while Cadwell was the treasurer of the Lexington County Rotary Club, he embezzled $52,300 from that club’s foundation. He was the treasurer of the Rotary Club for less than a year. The warrants say Caldwell issued himself 11 checks which he then deposited into his personal banking account. In these instances, he simply did not record those checks in the computer software that the Rotary Club’s Foundation used for bookkeeping.

Caldwell has been charged with two counts of breach of trust with fraudulent intent, with a value of $10,000 or more. He was booked into the Lexington County Detention Center where he has now been released after meeting the condition of his bond.