FLORENCE COUNTY -- A jury found State Representative Kris Crawford guilty of four misdemeanor charges of willfully failing to file state taxes on time.
He's a physician and represents District 63, which is in Florence County.
Crawford blamed his former accountant's poor work.
But, prosecutors said it was Crawford's responsibility to make sure his taxes were filed on time.
Crawford must pay a $10,000 fine plus the cost of prosecution. He does not face any jail time.
Crawford said he accepts the decision of the jury.
"I respect the process. I appreciate the jury's service, and I respect their decision. I obviously believe in my innocence. My family does. But, the jury arrived at the verdict that they arrived at and this is our system in America," said Crawford.
The last few years have been hard on his family, he said, and he's glad the ordeal is over.
"I will not go forward with any complaints and will immediately pay the fine that was imposed and look forward to moving forward. And I think it's important for everybody to understand that after two weeks of trial and years of prosecution this fundamentally came down to a monetary fine."
This was his second trial on the tax charges.
Last April, the jury deliberated for four hours and couldn't reach a verdict. A mistrial was declared.
