Lawsuit claims SC state senator stole millions from South Carolina company

GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – State Senator Josh Kimbrell, who announced his campaign for governor in June, has been named in a lawsuit claiming he stole more than $2 million from a South Carolina company.

The 16-page civil lawsuit, filed by a co-owner of Kimbrell’s company, claimed that Kimbrell, while working as manager and financier for private aircraft charter company Exodus Aircraft, diverted millions of corporate funds for his own use.

Kimbrell would allegedly take payments from customers and send them to a company called “Exodus Airways, LLC,” a sham company created by Kimbrell, which would then be transferred to personal bank accounts made by Kimbrell, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit claims that both Kimbrell’s wife, Liliya Shcherba Robertson Kimbrell, and his former banker, Thomas Blake Whitaker, were also part of the scheme.

The total amount of corporate funds that Kimbrell allegedly diverted exceeds $2 million, and took place over the course of two-and-a-half years, the lawsuit said. The suit said the funds were purported to have been used for Kimbrell’s political campaign, as well as personal and recreational uses.

7NEWS reached out to Kimbrell, whose district includes a portion of Spartanburg County, for comment but has not heard back.

The full complaint can be read below.