Four people were arrested this week in part of a South Carolina Department of Revenue tax refund scam investigation in Charleston.
According to the SC DOR, 29-year-old Rhykiel Smalls, 31-year-old Rochelle Jefferson, and 23-year-old Kimeshia Jackson were arrested Monday, and Christopher Young, 26, on Tuesday; all on separate charges related to individual income tax fraud.
A release from the state agency shows that Smalls was charged with one count of assisting in the preparation of a fraudulent income tax return and one count of forgery. The charges came from a 2009 return allegedly filed by Smalls that led to a $6,300 refund.
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Jefferson was charged with one count of assisting in the preparation of a fraudulent income tax return and two counts of forgery based on tax returns from 2008 and 2009, the revenue department reported.
Jackson was charged with one count of forgery for allegedly filing a fraudulent 2008 income tax return, the DOR said. The alleged fraudulent return led to an erroneous $4,500 refund.
According to the revenue department, Young filed bogus returns in 2009 and 2011, which led to more than $11,000 in refunds. He was charged with two counts of forgery.
If Smalls and Jefferson are convicted, they face 15 years in prison and fines from the court. Jackson and Young face 10 years in prison and fines.
Smalls, Jefferson and Jackson were released Monday night from the Al Cannon Detention Center, officials said. Smalls and Jefferson had $2,500 bonds. Jackson’s bond was set at $5,000.
Young is still being held at the detention center, according to the release.
