North Augusta bookkeeper arrested on tax charges

The operator for a North Augusta accounting and tax service was arrested by South Carolina Department of Revenue investigators today and charged with multiple counts of preparing fraudulent tax returns and failing to pay state withholding taxes.

Debra G. Solesbee, 55, an accountant and tax preparer for Advanced Accounting and Tax Services, Inc., is being held at the Aiken County Detention Center pending a bond hearing. She is charged with 15 counts of preparing fraudulent income tax returns and two counts of failing to pay state withholding tax. She is facing up to five years in prison on each of the 17 counts if convicted.

Solesbee, a resident of Edgefield, is accused of falsifying business miles and employee business expenses of $176,226 on tax returns she prepared for her clients in 2006 and 2007. She also is accused of failing to submit to the Department of Revenue $4,062 in taxes withheld from her wages and wages of her employees.

The revenue department’s investigation showed Solesbee’s clients were unaware of the fraudulent claims on their returns and no further arrests are expected. The investigation is ongoing, however, and other charges could be pending against Solesbee.

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