(A) The jurisdiction of a state grand jury impaneled pursuant to this article extends throughout the State. The subject matter jurisdiction of a state grand jury in all cases is limited to the following offenses:

(1) a crime involving narcotics, dangerous drugs, or controlled substances, or a crime arising out of or in connection with a crime involving narcotics, dangerous drugs, or controlled substances, including, but not limited to, money laundering as specified in Section 44-53-475, obstruction of justice, perjury or subornation of perjury, or any attempt, aiding, abetting, solicitation, or conspiracy to commit one of the aforementioned crimes, if the crime is of a multi-county nature or has transpired or is transpiring or has significance in more than one county of this State;

(2) a crime involving criminal gang activity or a pattern of criminal gang activity pursuant to Article 3, Chapter 8, Title 16;

(3) a crime, statutory, common law or other, involving public corruption as defined in Section 14-7-1615, a crime, statutory, common law or other, arising out of or in connection with a crime involving public corruption as defined in Section 14-7-1615, and any attempt, aiding, abetting, solicitation, or conspiracy to commit a crime, statutory, common law or other, involving public corruption as defined in Section 14-7-1615;

(4) a crime involving the election laws, including, but not limited to, those named offenses specified in Title 7, or a common law crime involving the election laws if not superseded, or a crime arising out of or in connection with the election laws, or any attempt, aiding, abetting, solicitation, or conspiracy to commit a crime involving the election laws;

(5) a crime involving computer crimes, pursuant to Chapter 16, Title 16, or a conspiracy or solicitation to commit a crime involving computer crimes;

(6) a crime involving terrorism, or a conspiracy or solicitation to commit a crime involving terrorism. Terrorism includes an activity that:

(a) involves an act dangerous to human life that is a violation of the criminal laws of this State;

(b) appears to be intended to:

(i) intimidate or coerce a civilian population;

(ii) influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or

(iii) affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and

(c) occurs primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of this State;

(7) a crime involving a violation of Chapter 1, Title 35 of the Uniform Securities Act, or a crime related to securities fraud or a violation of the securities laws;

(8) a crime involving obscenity, including, but not limited to, a crime as provided in Article 3, Chapter 15, Title 16, or any attempt, aiding, abetting, solicitation, or conspiracy to commit a crime involving obscenity;

(9) a crime involving the knowing and wilful making of, aiding and abetting in the making of, or soliciting or conspiring to make a false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation in an affidavit regarding an alien's lawful presence in the United States, as defined by law, if the number of violations exceeds twenty or if the public benefit received by a person from a violation or combination of violations exceeds twenty thousand dollars;

(10) a crime involving financial identity fraud or identity fraud involving the false, fictitious, or fraudulent creation or use of documents used in an immigration matter as defined in Section 16-13-525, if the number of violations exceeds twenty, or if the value of the ascertainable loss of money or property suffered by a person or persons from a violation or combination of violations exceeds twenty thousand dollars;

(11) a crime involving the knowing and wilful making of, aiding or abetting in the making of, or soliciting or conspiring to make a false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation in a document prepared or executed as part of the provision of immigration assistance services in an immigration matter, as defined by law, if the number of violations exceeds twenty, or if a benefit received by a person from a violation or combination of violations exceeds twenty thousand dollars;

(12) a knowing and wilful crime involving actual and substantial harm to the water, ambient air, soil or land, or both soil and land. This crime includes a knowing and wilful violation of the Pollution Control Act, the Atomic Energy and Radiation Control Act, the State Underground Petroleum Environmental Response Bank Act, the State Safe Drinking Water Act, the Hazardous Waste Management Act, the Infectious Waste Management Act, the Solid Waste Policy and Management Act, the Erosion and Sediment Control Act, the South Carolina Mining Act, and the Coastal Zone Management Act, or a knowing and wilful crime arising out of or in connection with environmental laws, or any attempt, aiding, abetting, solicitation, or conspiracy to commit a knowing and wilful crime involving the environment if the anticipated actual damages, including, but not limited to, the cost of remediation, is two million dollars or more, as certified by an independent environmental engineer who must be contracted by the Department of Health and Environmental Control. If the knowing and wilful crime is a violation of federal law, a conviction or an acquittal pursuant to federal law for the same act is a bar to the impaneling of a state grand jury pursuant to this section;

(13) a crime involving or relating to the offense of trafficking in persons, as defined in Section 16-3-2020, when a victim is trafficked in more than one county or a trafficker commits the offense of trafficking in persons in more than one county; and

(14) a crime involving a violation of the South Carolina Anti-Money Laundering Act as set forth in Chapter 11, Title 35, or a crime related to a violation of the Anti-Money Laundering Act.

(B) When the Attorney General and the Chief of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division consider a state grand jury necessary to enhance the effectiveness of investigative or prosecutorial procedures, the Attorney General may notify in writing to the chief administrative judge for general sessions in the judicial circuit in which he seeks to impanel a state grand jury that a state grand jury investigation is being initiated. This judge is referred to in this article as the presiding judge. The notification must allege the type of offenses to be inquired into and, in the case of those offenses contained in subsection (A)(1), must allege that these offenses may be of a multicounty nature or have transpired or are transpiring or have significance in more than one county of the State. The notification in all instances must specify that the public interest is served by the impanelment.

(C) In all investigations of crimes specified in subsection (A)(12), except in matters where the Department of Health and Environmental Control or its officers or employees are the subjects of the investigation, the Commissioner of the Department of Health and Environmental Control must consult with and, after investigation, provide a formal written recommendation to the Attorney General and the Chief of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. The Attorney General and the Chief of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division must consider the impaneling of a state grand jury necessary and the commissioner must sign a written recommendation before the Attorney General notifies the chief administrative judge pursuant to subsection (B).

(1) In the case of evidence brought to the attention of the Attorney General, the Chief of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, or the Department of Health and Environmental Control by an employee or former employee of the alleged violating entity, there also must be separate, credible evidence of the violation in addition to the testimony or documents provided by the employee or former employee of the alleged violating entity.

(2) When an individual employee performs a criminal violation of the environmental laws that results in actual and substantial harm pursuant to subsection (A)(12) and which prompts an investigation authorized by this article, only the individual employee is subject to the investigation unless or until there is separate, credible evidence that the individual's employer knew of, concealed, directed, or condoned the employee's action.

(D) If the notification properly alleges inquiry into crimes within the jurisdiction of the state grand jury and the notification is otherwise in order pursuant to the requirements of this section, the presiding judge must impanel a state grand jury. State grand juries are impaneled for a term of twelve calendar months. Upon the request by the Attorney General, the then chief administrative judge for general sessions in the judicial circuit in which a state grand jury was impaneled, by order, must extend the term of that state grand jury for a period of six months but the term of that state grand jury, including an extension of the term, must not exceed two years. If at the conclusion of a state grand jury's term a particular investigation is not completed, the Attorney General may notify the presiding judge in writing that the investigation is being transferred to the subsequently impaneled state grand jury.

A decision by the presiding judge not to impanel a state grand jury after notification by the Attorney General may be appealed to the Supreme Court and shall be handled in an expedited fashion.

(E) The chief administrative judge of the circuit wherein a state grand jury is sitting shall preside over that state grand jury during his tenure as chief administrative judge. The successor chief administrative judge shall assume all duties and responsibilities with regard to a state grand jury impaneled before his term including, but not limited to, presiding over the state grand jury and ruling on petitions to extend its term.

(F) Upon the request of the Attorney General, the presiding judge may discharge a state grand jury prior to the end of its original term or an extension of the term.

(G) An order limiting or ending a state grand jury investigation only shall be granted upon a finding of arbitrary action, compelling circumstances, or serious abuses of law or procedure by or before the state grand jury, and does not become effective less than ten days after the date on which it is issued and actual notice given to the Attorney General and the foreman of the state grand jury, and may be appealed by the Attorney General or the legal advisor to the state grand jury to the Supreme Court. If an appeal from the order is made, the state grand jury, except as is otherwise ordered by the Supreme Court, shall continue to exercise its powers pending disposition of the appeal. Appeals by the Attorney General or the legal advisor to the state grand jury of orders limiting or ending a state grand jury investigation, and appeals from orders granting or denying motions to quash or contempt citations therefrom which are immediately appealable under the law, must be handled by the South Carolina Supreme Court in an expedited fashion.

HISTORY: 1987 Act No. 150, Section 1, eff from and after February 8, 1989 (the date the amendments to Article I, Section 11, and Article V, Section 22, of the South Carolina Constitution were ratified and declared to be part of the Constitution); 1989 Act No. 2, Section 3, eff February 8, 1989 (the date the amendments to Article I, Section 11, and Article V, Section 22, of the South Carolina Constitution were ratified and declared to be part of the Constitution); 1992 Act No. 335, Section 1, eff May 4, 1992; 2002 Act No. 339, Section 7, eff July 2, 2002; 2003 Act No. 78, Section 1, eff June 4, 2003; 2004 Act No. 208, Section 2, eff April 26, 2004; 2005 Act No. 75, Section 2, eff May 24, 2005; 2007 Act No. 82, Section 3, eff June 12, 2007; 2008 Act No. 280, Section 14, eff June 4, 2008; 2015 Act No. 7 (S.196), Section 2, eff April 2, 2015; 2015 Act No. 45 (S.268), Section 1, eff June 3, 2015; 2016 Act No. 266 (H.4554), Section 2, eff May 25, 2018.

Editor's Note

2016 Act No. 266, Section 5, provides:

"SECTION 5. This act takes effect one year after approval of this act by the Governor or upon the publication in the State Register of final regulations implementing the act, whichever occurs later. The commissioner is authorized to begin promulgating these regulations upon approval of this act by the Governor which shall take effect when this act takes effect as provided in this section."

Effect of Amendment

2016 Act No. 266, Section 2, in (A), added (14), related to the Anti-Money Laundering Act.