South Carolina Department of Revenue (SCDOR) agents arrested a York woman on Tuesday and charged her with 14 offenses. Those include one count of breach of trust; six counts of failure to collect, account for, and pay over a tax; and seven counts of tax evasion.
Joretta Anderson, 57, was the secretary and treasurer of a York County company. In her role, Anderson was responsible for managing the company’s bank accounts, controlling daily financial transactions, issuing employee payroll checks, and filing company tax returns, according to arrest warrants.
From 2015-2021, the warrants allege that Anderson failed to report more than $1 million of employee wages and failed to pay over to the SCDOR approximately $49,434 of South Carolina Income Tax withheld from employees’ pay. She also issued W-2s, including to herself, that allowed employees to claim refunds on taxes that were not paid to the state.
In addition, Anderson used her access to her company’s bank account to redirect more than $169,000 to her personal bank account, of which approximately $96,838 was never returned to the company or used on its behalf. Anderson failed to report this money and other undisclosed sources of income on her state Individual Income Tax returns.
From 2015-2021, the warrants allege that Anderson failed to report more than $200,000 of additional income on individual returns, resulting in the evasion of approximately $16,982 of South Carolina Income Tax.
If convicted, Anderson faces a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison and/or a fine of $10,000 plus the cost of prosecution for each count of tax evasion and failing to pay over Withholding Tax, and up to 10 years in prison or a fine at the discretion of the court for the charge of breach of trust. She is being held in the York County Detention Center pending a bond hearing.
The SCDOR is committed to the fair administration of tax laws. By taking enforcement action against noncompliant taxpayers, the Department seeks to prevent unfairly increasing the tax burden on those who do comply.
If you suspect or know of anyone or a business that has committed a state tax crime, such as tax evasion or tax fraud, contact SCDOR Criminal Investigation and submit a Tax Violation Complaint Form (CID-27) to FraudAdvisor@dor.sc.gov or mail it to:
South Carolina Department of Revenue
Attn: Fraud Advisor
2070 Northbrook Blvd, Suite B7
North Charleston, SC 29406
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