Media Contact:
Public Affairs Office
Samantha Cheek
CheekS@sctax.org
(803) 898-5281

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 27, 2012

Charleston woman arrested for tax charges

A twelfth individual has been arrested in an ongoing tax fraud investigation by the SC Department of Revenue.

Onetha Waring was taken to the Charleston County Detention Center and charged with one count of assisting in the preparation of a false tax return and one count of forgery. If convicted of the charges, Waring, 27, could face penalties of up to $500 in fines and/or 10 years in prison.

Upon review of Waring’s 2009 income tax returns, investigators determined that Waring used a tax preparer to file her taxes with a fraudulent W2 form from any employer where she did not work. Waring’s use of the fraudulent W2 form resulted in her receiving federal and SC tax refunds in the amounts of $5,743 and $415, respectively.

As she willfully received tax refunds to which she was not entitled, Waring’s current federal and SC tax liability totals $6,158.

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