South Carolina Department of Revenue (SCDOR) agents today arrested a Sumter County man and charged him with seven counts of tax evasion.

Timothy Wright, 33, failed to file state Income Tax returns for 2012 through 2014 and 2016 through 2018, according to his arrest warrant. Wright filed a false withholding statement with his employer stating that he was exempt from state tax, resulting in little to no tax withheld from his pay. He earned $613,263 during the years in question. When he filed a state tax return in 2019, he failed to report retirement distribution in the amount of $17,912. As a result, Wright's tax liability is a total of $27,047.

If convicted, Wright faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and/or a fine of $10,000 plus the cost of prosecution per count. He is being held in the Sumter-Lee Regional Detention Center pending a bond hearing.

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. 

If you suspect or know of anyone or a business that has committed a state tax crime, such as tax evasion or tax fraud, contact SCDOR Criminal Investigation and submit a Tax Violation Complaint Form (CID-27) to criminalinvestigation@dor.sc.gov or mail it to SCDOR, CID, PO Box 125, Columbia, SC 29214-0930.   

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