Judge denies appeal for lower sentence in Underwood case, he faces up to 4 years prison
A federal judge has denied appeals to lower the sentence range for convicted former Chester County sheriff Alex Underwood, setting the stage for him to be sentenced to up to four years in prison.
U.S. District Judge Michelle Childs issued a court order late Wednesday that denied appeals by Underwood and two top deputies, all convicted in 2021.
The order states Underwood could to be sentenced to anywhere from 46 to 57 months in prison.
Underwood, 57, was convicted by a jury in April 2021 of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and federal program theft, unlawful arrest of a Chester County man in 2018, and wire fraud, records show.
Underwood, known as “Big A” in court documents, was convicted of taking more than $32,000 for hours not worked, for labor from deputies to work on his man-cave on his personal property, and travel expenses that were not legitimate, Childs ruled..
Underwood’s lawyers argued the amount was less, but Childs denied the appeal, the court order states.
Underwood, a Democrat, was first elected in 2012 and was re-elected in 2016. Underwood was suspended from office by S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster in May 2019 when Underwood was indicted. Underwood lost a bid for re-election in 2020.
Two top deputies also convicted
Two top deputies, Robert Sprouse and Johnny Neal, also were convicted in the same 2021 trial. Childs also denied sentence reduction appeals by Sprouse and Neal in court orders issued Wednesday.
Neal, 41, faces 46-57 months in prison after he was convicted in 2021 of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, falsification of records, federal program theft, unlawful arrest, falsification of records, federal program theft, and wire fraud.
Sprouse, 46, faces a range of 30-37 months after he was convicted of conspiracy to falsify records and commit federal program theft, falsification of records, false statements, and federal program theft, records state.
No sentencing date yet
A sentencing date for all three has not been set by Childs.
In the past dozen years, 12 sheriffs in South Carolina have been charged or convicted with crimes in federal and state courts, records show. All 46 counties in South Carolina have an elected sheriff who is the top law enforcement officer in each county.
The State reporter John Monk contributed to this story.
This story was originally published May 12, 2022 at 11:22 AM.
