NEWS RELEASE

SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE

Public Affairs Office            Phone (803) 898-5464

Contact: Danny Brazell            Fax (803) 898-5446

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 11, 2003

Johnston business owner sentence to jail for tax fraud

            The owner of a Johnston chain saw sales and service business was sentenced to five years in prison today after pleading guilty in a Newberry County Court to two counts of sales tax evasion.

            Alfred F. Smith, 28, owner of Carolina Saw Shop, was immediately turned over to the state Department of Corrections to begin his sentence following his plea before Circuit Judge William P. Keesley. Keesley also ordered Smith to serve five years probation following his prison sentence and directed him to pay restitution of $7,159 in back taxes to the South Carolina Department of Revenue.

             Smith, an Augusta, Ga. resident, was arrested by Department of Revenue investigators on July 22 for failing to file his sales tax returns from Nov. 2002 through May 2003 and pay the sales tax collected from his business.

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