Greenville funeral home CEO resigns after arrest, investigation reveals criminal history

GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - The CEO of an upstate funeral home resigned after he was arrested for first-degree criminal sexual conduct, and FOX Carolina Investigates has uncovered questions about whether he should have been granted a license to cremate people in South Carolina.

Robert Nelms, who often goes by the name Ian, was the CEO of the Cremation Society of South Carolina - Westville Funerals on White Horse Road until he resigned immediately following a recent allegation of sexual assault.

The Cremation Society of South Carolina released this statement to FOX Carolina:

Criminal history dating to 2008

We started digging into Nelms background after receiving an anonymous letter in December, and found Nelms has a criminal history going back to 2008.

He was indicted that year for embezzling $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 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.

Licensing questions

Records show Nelms checked “no” on his crematory operator application under the personal history section that asks “have you ever been convicted of or pled guilty to… a crime that has not been previously disclosed?”

State law requires background checks for crematory operators in South Carolina to only look at criminal convictions from the last five years. Any answer “yes” on the personal history questions must also include a written explanation.

The South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing & Regulation did not answer whether Nelms ever disclosed anything about his previous criminal history during the licensing process.

Michigan arrest

Nelms was arrested in Spartanburg County on May 22 and extradited to Michigan where he was charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct.

The Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. FOX Carolina Investigates filed a FOIA request for their files on the case, and received 85 pages of reports back.

The records state that a woman came forward alleging that Nelms groomed her when she was a child and touched her inappropriately in July 2014. Deputies interviewed multiple witnesses who saw her crying and visibly distressed after the alleged incident with Nelms. She was 12 years old at the time.

Nelms was released from jail on a $100,000 bond. Prior to his recent arrest, he declined multiple interview requests with FOX Carolina. As of now, his crematory operator license in South Carolina is still active.

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