Former SC legislator pleads guilty to money laundering, wire fraud

A former state representative pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to taking settlement money from his legal clients, sometimes by pretending to be them.

Ex-Rep. Marvin Pendarvis, a personal injury attorney, pleaded guilty to nine counts of wire fraud, money laundering and aggravated identity theft. He faces up to 20 years in prison for the wire fraud and money laundering charges, along with two years for the charges of aggravated identity theft.

Prosecutors agreed to drop one of the 10 charges Pendarvis faced, which accused him of illegally conducting interstate commerce.

A federal judge in Charleston County will decide his sentence at a later date.

According to an indictment filed against him last year, Pendarvis lied to his clients about how much money he had negotiated for them to receive, claiming insurance companies settled for less than they actually did. He then wired the rest of the money into the law firm’s bank account, then into other accounts from there, according to the indictment.

In some cases, he forged clients’ names and filed settlement documents without their knowledge or approval, according to the indictment.

Pendarvis pocketed at least $532,000 between January 2022 and April 2024, when the State Law Enforcement Division began investigating claims in a former client’s civil malpractice lawsuit, according to the indictment.

That lawsuit is ongoing.

Along with prison time, each charge could carry fines of up to $250,000. A judge will also be able to order Pendarvis to pay back the money he stole from the people who should have received it, according to the guilty plea.

The North Charleston Democrat, first elected in a 2017 special election, resigned from the House in September 2024, four months after the state Supreme Court suspended his law license. Running unopposed, he still won re-election, then declined the win, triggering a special election.

Pendarvis’ attorney, public defender Brendan Daniels, declined to comment Wednesday. Pendarvis did not respond to a call requesting comment.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which prosecuted the case, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.