NEWS RELEASE

SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE

Public Affairs Office

Contact: Danny Brazell

Phone: (803) 898-5464

Email: brazeld@sctax.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 8, 2005

Lexington Tax Preparer Charged with Tax Fraud

South Carolina Department of Revenue investigators arrested a Lexington County tax preparer today on tax fraud charges.

Linda M. Wilson, 57, owner of ABC Tax Service in Lexington, is being held at the Lexington County Detention Center pending a bond hearing. Wilson is charged with two counts of willfully preparing fraudulent tax returns and two counts of willfully submitting fraudulent tax documents to the revenue department. 

Wilson is accused of claiming fraudulent tax deductions on a client's 2001 and 2002 state income tax returns and exaggerating deductions on her own state tax returns for those same years. The department alleges Wilson provided altered tax documents to the department for one tax year in which she had exaggerated her charitable deductions by more than $22,000.

Wilson is facing up to 12 years in prison and fines of up to $3,000 if convicted of all the charges.

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