York County tax preparer filed fake returns adding up to nearly $500,000, SC officials say
A York County tax preparer faces 16 felony charges after allegedly filing fraudulent returns on behalf of people who had no knowledge of her scam, officials said.
Crystal Farrow Davis, 39, of Rock Hill, was arrested Wednesday on the 16 felony charges of willfully making or assisting in a false tax return, according to arrest warrants obtained by The Herald.
Davis, a preparer at United Tax Services in Fort Mill, filed fraudulent income tax returns on behalf of several clients from February 2018 through November 2020, according to a S.C. Department of Revenue statement.
Davis submitted returns with fake or incorrect information without the consent or knowledge of the clients, according to the warrants.
Davis claimed $481,034 in fraudulent expenses for 2017, 2018 and 2019, DOR agents said in the warrants. The fraud prevented payment of about $33,883 in taxes that were due to the state of South Carolina, according to DOR officials.
Each charge against Davis is a felony that carries up to five years in prison and a potential fine for a conviction, South Carolina law shows.
Davis was released from the York County jail after a magistrate judge set her bond on the charges, according to South Carolina online court records and the York County Sheriff’s Office jail website.
This story was originally published November 8, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
