Harrell misses deadline to pay $113,475

Former S.C. House Speaker Bobby Harrell missed a deadline to pay the state $113,475 for campaign money he used on legal fees during his political corruption case.

Harrell had until midnight Thursday to submit the money or ask to meet with the House Ethics Committee, which voted Sept. 1 to give him 30 days to pay.

The committee had not heard from the Charleston Republican by Friday.

The ethics panel expects to meet the week of Oct. 12 to decide what to do next, said state Rep. Kenny Bingham, R-Lexington, who chairs the committee.

The committee could turn over collection of the money to the S.C. Department of Revenue.

Efforts to reach Harrell were unsuccessful Friday.

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However, he told The (Charleston) Post and Courier that he had no immediate plans to pay the money.

Lawmakers and candidates can use campaign cash to pay lawyers if they are found innocent of ethics charges, Bingham has said.

However, Harrell, once one of the state’s most powerful politicians, agreed to resign from office and pay $124,000 in fines and penalties as part of his guilty plea on six criminal charges of misusing campaign cash.

He also was required to send the remainder of the money in his campaign account to the state. After expenses, Harrell handed over the final $3,571 on Oct. 31, according to campaign records.

Harrell also agreed to three years of probation and to tell authorities about any illegal activity that he knew of by other state lawmakers. He is barred from seeking office for three years.

This story was originally published October 2, 2015 at 11:51 AM.