Man accused of selling drugs is arrested on tax evasion charges

A Northeast Richland County man was arrested on Monday for failing to pay income taxes on the illegal drugs authorities claim he sold for several years.

Shareef Williams, 45, is facing five counts of of the willful attempt to evade or defeat a tax. The charges combined carry a penalty of up to 25 years in prison and $50,000 in fines. Williams is being held at the Florence County Detention Center.

According to the Department of Revenue, Williams sold more than $275,000 in drugs between 2010 and 2014, but skipped paying more than $8,500 in income taxes to the state of South Carolina.

Williams did not file income tax returns in 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014, according to a news release by the Department of Revenue. He filed state income taxes in 2012, but did not report his drug income, the release said.

“The defendant evaded the assessment of South Carolina income taxes by handling his business transactions in a manner to avoid the creation of certain records and reports by law,” the release said.

This story was originally published October 31, 2016 at 3:29 PM with the headline "Man accused of selling drugs is arrested on tax evasion charges."