COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCIV) — A Georgia woman was arrested on Monday and charged with five counts of preparing false or fraudulent tax returns, according to the South Carolina Department of Revenue.
Tyra Rochelle Buie, 38, of Locust Grove, Georgia, is accused of preparing Individual Income Tax returns for South Carolina taxpayers, many of whom provided their information via text or email, the department said. Arrest warrants allege that from 2019 to 2023, Buie prepared 43 federal and South Carolina Individual Income Tax returns with fraudulent business losses and deductions totaling at least $1.8 million.
The warrants state that the affected taxpayers were unaware of or did not consent to the fraudulent entries, resulting in them receiving South Carolina Income Tax refunds they were not entitled to. The SCDOR’s investigation indicates that these taxpayers owe at least $95,307 due to the fraudulent returns. They are responsible for paying the tax due and repaying any inflated refunds received, according to the department…