BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C.–South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson recently announced that Syed Ahmed of North Charleston pled guilty in the Berkeley County Court of General Sessions to two counts of Willful Attempt to Evade or Defeat a Tax, in violation of S.C. Code Section 12-54-44(B)(1), as amended.
Ahmed, owner of Discount Tobacco in Summerville, admitted to underreporting taxable sales from 2008 through 2011 in an amount in excess of two million dollars, thereby evading $167,004 in sales tax owed to the State of South Carolina.
Circuit Court Judge Edward Welmaker sentenced Ahmed to ten years in prison, but suspended that sentence to five years of probation to begin upon completion of a federal prison sentence he is serving for related conduct.
In addition, Ahmed was ordered to pay $167,004 in restitution to the State for the taxes he owed, and $500 for the cost of investigating and prosecuting his case.
With the completion of criminal prosecution, auditors from the SCDOR and IRS will apply further civil penalties and interest charges where appropriate.
The maximum sentence for Willful Attempt to Evade or Defeat a Tax is five years and/or a $10,000 fine, together with the cost of prosecution.
Anyone with information concerning fraudulent tax schemes should contact the South Carolina Department of Revenue.
- Nearly Century-Old St. Stephen School To Be Torn Down - March 20, 2024
- BCSD Approves $10K Bonus For Special Education Teachers - March 19, 2024
- WakeUp Carolina Celebrates Moncks Corner Grand Opening With Ribbon Cutting - March 12, 2024
Recent Comments