Four More Residents Arrested in Tax Fraud Probe

Four individuals have been arrested this week as S.C. Department of Revenue officials continue to investigate a tax refund scam in the Charleston area.

Rhykiel Smalls, 29, Rochelle Jefferson, 31, and Kimeshia Jackson, 32, were arrested Monday, and Christopher Young, 26, on Tuesday; all on separate charges related to individual income tax fraud.

Smalls, a resident of Mt. Pleasant, was charged with one count of assisting in the preparation of a fraudulent income tax return and one count of forgery. Smalls filed a 2009 income tax return using a fraudulent W-2 form from an employer for which he did not work, and claimed tax refunds totaling $6,303 to which he was not entitled. If convicted, Smalls could face up to 15 years in prison and/or be fined at the discretion of the court.

North Charleston resident Rochelle Jefferson was charged with one count of assisting in the preparation of a fraudulent income tax return and two counts of forgery. Jefferson submitted 2008 and 2009 income tax returns using fraudulent W-2 forms. Consequently, Jefferson received tax refunds totaling $5,574 to which she was not entitled. Jefferson is facing up to 15 years in prison and/or being fined at the discretion of the court if convicted of the charges.

Kimeshia Jackson was charged with one count of forgery for filing a fraudulent 2008 income tax return along with a fraudulent W-2 form. The fraudulent filing resulted in Jackson claiming overstated tax refunds totaling $4,484. If convicted of the charges, Jackson could face up to five years in prison and/or be fined at the discretion of the court.

Young submitted fraudulent income tax returns for 2009 and 2011 using falsified W-2 forms from employers for which he did not work. Therefore, Young, a McClellanville resident, received tax refunds for 2009 and 2011 totaling $4,076 and $7,450, respectively, to which he was not entitled. Young was charged with two counts of forgery and if convicted of the charges, could face up to 10 years in prison and/or be fined at the discretion of the court.

Rhykiel Smalls, Rochelle Jefferson, and Kimeshia Jackson were released Monday night from the Al Cannon Detention Center in Charleston: Smalls on a $2,500 personal recognizance (PR) bond, Jefferson on a $2,500 PR bond, and Jackson on a $5,000 PR bond. Christopher Young is currently being held at the detention center awaiting a bond hearing.