SC prosecutor who is running for attorney general now faces ethics probe

The S.C. Ethics Commission is investigating a complaint against Eighth Circuit Solicitor David Stumbo, a candidate for state attorney general, that for several years he paid himself a total of an extra $36,700 out of office funds, according to allegations reported to the commission.

The Ethics Commission decided to investigate Stumbo after receiving a complaint from a person whose name was redacted from a document sent to The State newspaper.

“The State Ethics Commission has received the complaint filed by you against David Stumbo. The complaint contained sufficient facts to warrant an investigation,” said a letter from Meghan Walker Daysan, commission executive director, to the person who filed the complaint. The person’s name was redacted in a copy obtained by The State. The letter was dated April 15.

Dayson declined comment, saying the commission neither confirms nor denies ongoing investigations.

Asked for comment, Stumbo said in a statement, “This is obviously a politically-driven complaint made by my opposition late in a campaign season, despite this being reported on my disclosure reports transparently for a few years now. Any suggestion that I used public office for personal gain is simply false, and we look forward to answering these allegations.”

Stumbo added that in 2022, he re-assigned his office vehicle “to other critical needs — and driving my own vehicle in lieu of purchasing an additional new office vehicle — saved the taxpayers thousands of dollars. I have logged the extensive road time that it requires to show up and lead a judicial circuit that covers four counties and over 2,300 square miles.”

As one of 16 elected solicitors, Stumbo makes $233,925 a year, according to the S.C. Commission on Prosecution Coordination. Solicitors are the elected chief prosecutors of criminal cases in their circuits. In other states, solicitors are often called district attorneys. Stumbo’s circuit covers Abbeville, Laurens, Newberry and Greenwood counties.

In a letter to the Commission, the complainant alleged:

• That Stumbo’s extra $36,700 in pay came from Stumbo’s office account and that he personally signed checks to himself or directed someone to make payments to him from the office account.
• The extra money was paid to Stumbo from September 2022 to July 2025.
• Stumbo paid himself an allowance of either $950 or $1,100 for 35 straight months.
• That on Stumbo’s 2024 and 2025 Statements of Economic Interests to the State Ethics Commission, Stumbo reported mileage allowances totalling $25,500 for the two years. The letter alleged public officials are “not allowed to direct an ‘allowance’ to themselves from an office account.”
• The numbers came from Stumbo’s answers to Freedom of Information requests filed by the person who filed the complaint.
• The complaint also said that former Colleton County clerk of court Becky Hill had pleaded guilty to misconduct in 2025 to unlawfully augmenting her salary “by giving herself a check of over $2,000.” Hill was sentenced to probation.

In his statement to The State, Stumbo indicated he will strongly dispute the allegations and stress his long career as a budget-conscious prosecutor fighting crime and bad actors.

“Not only have I spent my career protecting victims of crime and our community, I have also protected taxpayer dollars. It is well-documented that my office consistently does more with less than any other circuit solicitor in the state.

“I have accounted for each and every dollar to work for the people of South Carolina. To further ensure that there would be absolutely no question on my service, I have refused to take mileage since launching my campaign for attorney general in late summer 2025.

“I’ve spent my career focused on public safety, protecting victims, and being a responsible steward of taxpayer resources. That record speaks for itself,” Stumbo said in his statement.

One of Stumbo’s two opponents, First Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe, declined comment on the complaint against Stumbo.

Asked if he gives himself an allowance above his solicitor’s $233,925 a year salary, Pascoe said he did not . He also said he did not know of any other solicitor who did. Pascoe’s circuit includes Orangeburg, Dorchester and Calhoun counties.

Stumbo’s other opponent, State Sen. Stephen Goldfinch, R-Georgetown, could not be reached. Goldfinch’s district also includes part of Horry County.

Goldfinch, Pascoe and Stumbo are running in the June 9 Republican primary for attorney general. The office is open because four-term incumbent Alan Wilson decided to run for governor.