Tim Rogers, the former managing director of Charleston Stage, was arrested on Thursday and charged with three counts of breach of trust with fraudulent intent, months after the theater company quietly fired him over questions about his company credit card. He was released the same day on a personal recognizance bond.
From Credit Card Review to Criminal Charges
According to the Post and Courier, Rogers was also the subject of an ongoing law enforcement investigation tied to his time at Charleston Stage. Each of the three misdemeanor charges against him involves $2,000 or less, the paper reports, and breach of trust with fraudulent intent is treated under South Carolina law as a form of larceny similar to embezzlement. Per a statutory excerpt from the South Carolina Code of Laws, the offense involves someone lawfully entrusted with money or property who intentionally converts, misuses or takes it for unauthorized use with intent to defraud or deprive the owner — though the statute alone does not establish that Rogers committed any such act.
Charleston Stage's Executive Committee said in a statement that the company terminated Rogers' employment on Aug. 11 following an internal review of financial matters, according to Holy City Sinner. That review included, but was not limited to, certain charges Rogers made to his company credit card, and he was given an opportunity to respond before his firing. The board said the company was troubled by the circumstances and would safeguard its resources while continuing to cooperate fully with law enforcement, adding that its productions and educational programming would continue as planned.
A Short, Troubled Tenure
Rogers had stepped into the managing director role at Charleston Stage in April 2024, taking over at South Carolina's largest professional theater company, which is housed at the historic Dock Street Theatre. The Post and Courier's reporting lists his prior career as senior vice president of membership and outreach for the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, though an earlier Post and Courier announcement of his hiring described the same role as senior vice president of membership and investment — the two accounts differ on his exact former title.
Charleston Stage was founded in 1978 by Julian Wiles, who led the company until his retirement in 2023. Wiles told the Post and Courier he was not involved in the company's internal financial review and said he has full confidence in its board and staff leadership. Charleston Stage declined further comment beyond its statement, and the Post and Courier noted it had requested an incident report from the Charleston Police Department that had not been provided before publication.
Rogers Had Just Landed a New Theater Job
The arrest lands just weeks after Rogers was hired as managing director at PURE Theatre, which announced the move in its newsletter on Oct. 21. In his introductory remarks there, Rogers wrote that he would welcome the opportunity to meet staff and share his excitement for what's ahead. Sharon Graci told the Post and Courier that she and co-founder Rodney Lee were caught off-guard by Rogers' arrest and were not prepared to comment on Friday.
