Former SC childhood initiative director arrested on fraud charges, SLED says
A former executive director of Kershaw County First Steps was charged with fraud by the State Law Enforcement Division on Wednesday after she had for years used First Steps’ funds for personal use, obtaining over $180,000, according to arrest warrants.
Kimberly Renee Jordan, 56, was charged with four counts of breach of trust with fraudulent intent and six counts of obtaining property under false pretenses, according to a SLED news release. The incidents took place between 2017 and 2023 while she was executive director, SLED arrest warrants showed. She had held the position since at least 2013, according to Kershaw County First Steps’ website history. Jordan’s LinkedIn profile says she took the position in 2000.
SC First Steps was established in 1999 by the state General Assembly to address the opportunity gap for child education. It offers children’s health services and seeks to expand access to quality early childcare and education, helping rising kindergartners transition to school.
Between 2020 and 2023, Jordan used a First Steps credit card for personal payments such as vacations to Myrtle Beach and Jamaica, groceries, medical expenses and Amazon purchases, the arrest warrants showed. SLED agents determined credit card statements and invoices had been altered to hide the names of stores at which purchases were made, the warrants said.
In total, Jordan deprived Kershaw County First Steps of $26,652.43 with these credit card payments, according to SLED documents.
Between 2017 and 2021, Jordan knowingly submitted false invoices asking for reimbursement for purchases, SLED arrest warrants said. Through those requests, she fraudulently received $119,741.24 in total, according to SLED documents.
Additionally, Jordan was reimbursed 54 times between 2018 and 2023 for mileage she claimed she drove for business matters related to Kershaw County First Steps, SLED documents said. She knowingly submitted fake and often duplicated mileage forms, according to SLED, and received approximately $38,000.
CARFAX records obtained by SLED showed the true mileage of her vehicle, a 2018 Dodge Journey, was far less than it would have been if the mileage forms were accurate, an arrest warrant said. The mileage form fraud was also confirmed after viewing Jordan’s bank records, the warrant said.
“We received financial and other resources from various sources and continued to be good stewards of the money entrusted to us,” Jordan wrote in the nonprofit’s 2018-2019 annual report.
Jordan was booked into the Kershaw County Detention Center, where she remained Wednesday with total bonds set for $31,082.50.
