By Dan McCue

CHARLESTON -- After spending the night in the Charleston County Jail in North Charleston, Al Parish is expected to appear at the federal courthouse on Broad Street in downtown Charleston this morning to respond to civil charges that he bilked investors out of more than $134 million.

On the advice of his lawyer, Andrew John Savage of the Savage and Savage law firm of Charleston, and after a week of tabloid-style controversy surrounding his activities and the nature of his hard asset investments, Parish turned himself in to authorities Thursday afternoon.

Savage could not be reached for comment.

Federal authorities believe Parish had been staying with his mother in Berkeley County since being discharged from a local hospital, where he had been treated for amnesia.

The former Charleston Southern University professor and economist was immediately slapped with an additional criminal complaint by federal investigators charging him with making “materially false statements and providing false documents” to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission when it inquired about the value of his funds.

A federal magistrate denied bail, stating that he believed Parish, who was an adviser to innumerous Lowcountry businesses, business organizations and media outlets, was a flight risk.

Carlton Bourne, the U.S. attorney investigating the criminal side of the Parish case for the U.S. Justice Department, said with the filing of the additional complaint on Thursday, the government now has 30 days to seek a federal indictment.

Special Agent Steve Grimaldi of the Federal Bureau of Investigation previously told the Charleston Regional Business Journal that potential charges could include mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering and conspiracy.

A grand jury could be empanelled in Charleston, but it didn’t necessarily have to be, Bourne said.

“It can be empanelled anywhere in the District of South Carolina,” he said.

Parish’s alleged misdeeds have already inspired a rash of lawsuits against Parish, his former investment companies and his former employer, CSU.

Members of Parish’s family said Thursday night that he is slowly regaining his memory, but so far can only remember as far back as last Saturday.