Robert “Ian” Nelms resigned as CEO of the Cremation Society of South Carolina–Westville Funerals after being arrested and charged in Michigan in May with first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving allegations dating back to 2014, when the accuser was 12 years old.
WHNS in South Carolina found Nelms has a criminal history that includes a 2008 conviction related to the embezzlement of $22 million in cemetery trust funds in Michigan and Indiana. He took plea deals and was sentenced to four years of work release and four years home detention.
Nelms, who grew up in Orange, later moved to Greer. Records show as recently as 2020, he was back under legal scrutiny. Michigan issued a cease and desist for Nelms in May 2020. The order says he was selling securities without telling investors he was a convicted felon. The report also raises questions about how Nelms obtained a South Carolina crematory operator license, noting that he answered “no” to a question about prior criminal convictions on his application.
Nelms was arrested in Spartanburg County in May and extradited to Michigan. He has been released on a $100,000 bond. Despite his resignation, state records show his South Carolina crematory operator license remains active.
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