Below are the civil and criminal penalties for writing a bad check in South Carolina.
Civil Penalties: In addition to other fines, issuer shall pay all reasonable court costs, not to exceed $20 and if payment not made within 30 days, issuer shall pay amount of check and damages, of the lesser of $500 or treble the amount of the check.
Criminal Penalties: Up to $2,000 fine or up to 10 years in jail, or both. In magistrate's court - first conviction, not less than $50, nor more than $250 or imprisonment of 30 days; second or subsequent conviction, fine of $200 or imprisonment for 30 days. Conviction in court of General Sessions, first conviction fine not less than $300 nor more than $2,000 or by imprisonment for not more than 2 years or both; for second or more conviction, fine of not less than $500 or more than $2,000 or imprisonment for not less than 30 days or not more than 10 years.
For more information on bad check laws and for criminal and civil penalties in other states for writing bad checks, please read Bad Check Laws
Check with your state statutes for the most current information on state bad check laws.
You may want to also read Getting A Checking Account While On The Chex System
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