A Marion tobacco store owner was arrested after allegedly under-reportedly nearly $1.1 million in sales.
Abdu Saleh, the owner of Express Tobacco in Marion, was arrested today by South Carolina Department of Revenue agents, according to a press release from the South Carolina Department of Revenue. Saleh “is charged with three counts of tax evasion after underreporting more than $1.1 million in gross proceeds of sales for the business.”
“For tax years 2015 and 2016 and filing periods January 2017 through October 2017, Saleh reported a total of $1,390,845 in gross proceeds of sales,” the release states. “An SCDOR investigation found the business’ actual gross proceeds of sales totaled $2,503,254. By failing to report $1,112,409, Saleh evaded paying $88,992 in taxes due to the State of South Carolina.”
Saleh is currently being held at the Marion County Detention Center, according to the release. “If convicted, he faces fines up to $10,000 and/or up to five years in prison per charge.”
“The SCDOR is committed to the fair administration of tax laws. By taking enforcement action against noncompliant taxpayers, the Department seeks to prevent unfairly increasing the tax burden on those who do comply,” the release further states.
