NEWS RELEASE
SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE
Public Affairs Office
PO Box 125, Columbia, SC 29214
Contact: Danny Brazell (803) 898-5464
or Adrienne Fairwell (803) 898-5287

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 14, 2007

Pickens County bookkeeper arrested on tax charges

The owner of a Pickens County bookkeeping service was arrested by a South Carolina Department of Revenue investigator today and charged with submitting false tax returns to the agency.

Michael Wayne Wyatt, owner of Zaccheus Services in Clemson, was charged with three counts of assisting in the preparation of false tax returns. Wyatt is being held at the Pickens County Detention Center pending a bond hearing.

Wyatt is accused of keeping state sales and use tax collections for his personal use while his firm was employed by a local Anderson restaurant from 2003 – 2005. Wyatt’s bookkeeping business was employed by the restaurant to prepare and remit their sales and use tax returns.

 For the three-year period he is charged, Wyatt is accused of underreporting the restaurant’s business sales by $1,681,609 and diverting the $84,349 in sales tax collections on that amount for his personal use.

Wyatt is facing up to 15 years in prison and fines of up to $1,500 if convicted of all the charges. The Pickens County Sheriff’s Department assisted the Department of Revenue in Wyatt’s arrest.

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(Editor’s note: DOR arrest warrants show in 2003, Wyatt reported gross sales for the restaurant at $610,664 for the year when actual sales were $1,132,290. Wyatt is charged with diverting $26,081 in sales tax on the underreported amount to his personal use.

In 2004, Wyatt is accused of reporting restaurant gross sales of $470,805 when actual sales were $1,013,741. He is accused of diverting $27,416 in sales tax on the underreported amount to his personal use.

In 2005, Wyatt reported restaurant gross sales of $486,190 when actual sales were $1,103,237, diverting $30,852 in sales tax on the underreported amount to his personal use.)