Prison over: Convicted former SC sheriff Alex Underwood released from federal custody
Former Sheriff George Alexander “Alex” Underwood has been released from federal prison after being convicted of crimes as the top law enforcement official in Chester County.
Federal Bureau of Prisons officials confirmed to The Herald that Underwood, 61, was released Friday. He was sentenced in July 2022 to 46 months on corruption charges.
It is unclear where Underwood, known as “Big A,” will live.
Federal prison officials told The Herald in an email Tuesday the agency does not release inmate conditions of confinement. A former State Law Enforcement Division agent, Underwood lived in rural Chester County before he was sentenced to prison.
Underwood spent most of his prison stretch at Big Sandy prison in Kentucky before being sent to a North Carolina halfway house near Raleigh a few weeks ago.
In a 2021 trial in Columbia, a federal jury convicted Underwood of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, deprivation of rights, falsifying records and federal program theft. Underwood was convicted of using deputies to work on a man cave at his personal property, and taking money that was supposed to be used for DUI checkpoints.
Underwood still has three years of supervised release, sentencing records show. He has paid back almost $30,000 in restitution.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster suspended Underwood from office after a federal grand jury indicted him in May 2019.
Underwood was sheriff from 2013 until 2019.
A Democrat, Underwood became Chester’s first Black sheriff after winning the 2012 election. He was re-elected in 2016 then failed to win in 2020 when he ran while under indictment. Chester County is between Rock Hill and Columbia.
Federal sentencing rules state Underwood can’t possess a gun because he was convicted of felonies, according to U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesperson Veronica Hill and court documents. He also is barred from South Carolina law enforcement certification because of his convictions, Hill said.
In May 2024, Underwood pleaded guilty to South Carolina state charges. The state sentence for conspiracy, misconduct in office, and use of office for financial gain ran concurrent to his federal stint in prison.
Efforts to reach Underwood’s lawyer from the May guilty plea were unsuccessful Tuesday.
