Charleston, South Carolina — Former state senator and Charleston-area attorney Marvin Pendarvis is scheduled to appear in federal court on Tuesday for the first time since his indictment on fraud allegations.
An arraignment hearing is set for Nov. 18 at 10 a.m. at the United States District Courthouse in downtown Charleston.
On November 5, a grand jury indicted Pendarvis on four counts of wire fraud, three counts of aggravated identity theft, two counts of money laundering, and an interstate commerce allegation.
According to the indictment, Pendarvis devised a scheme to deceive his customers by negotiating and obtaining monetary settlements without their knowledge or agreement on at least four instances.
Prosecutors from the United States Attorney’s Office stated that part of the scam comprised Pendarvis negotiating settlements on behalf of his clients but failing to notify them or informing them that the amount was less than what was actually secured. He is also suspected of faking clients’ signatures on settlement release forms.
The indictment alleges that he stole $235,000 between January 2022 and April 2024.
Pendarvis resigned from the South Carolina House in September 2024, almost four months after the South Carolina Supreme Court suspended his law license due to a state-led malpractice inquiry.
