Man Arrested on Tax-Related Charges

A Mount Pleasant man faces tax and forgery charges after state investigators allege he filed a fraudulent tax form.

Derrick Lamont Nelson, 30, has been charged with one count of assisting in the preparation of a fraudulent return and one count of forgery, according to a S.C. Department of Revenue news release.

Investigators allege Nelson in 2010 presented a W-2 form from Oakland Wings to a tax preparation business, which was used to prepare federal and South Carolina income tax returns. But evidence suggested Nelson never worked at the restaurant, and that the tax form was forged, the news release states.

Nelson, who resides on Snowden Road, only claimed wages of $14,531 and that he had paid federal taxes of $1,460 and state taxes of $717. Despite that, Nelson faces big fines and jail time.

He could be headed to state prison for up to five years and face fines of up to $500, if he is convicted of the tax charges, according to the news release. If he is convicted on the forgery charge, he could be sentenced to 10 years in prison and also face fines.

“By presenting a fraudulent W-2 form to the tax preparer … the defendant willfully assisted in the preparation of a false or fraudulent return. By presenting a W-2 form to the tax preparer that he knew to be fraudulent, the defendant committed the crime of forgery,” the news release states.

Nelson did receive a tax return based on the form, the news release states, but the amount of the return was not disclosed.