Funeral home owner arrested, accused of performing funerals without a license in SC
State officials arrested the owner of a South Carolina funeral home Friday. He’s accused of operating without a retail license and hiding income to avoid paying taxes, according to the state Department of Revenue.
Robert Bethea, 66, owner of Bethea Funeral Home of Orangeburg, hasn’t had a retail license to operate the business since August 2018, according to state officials. “The funeral home performed 38 funerals after the date the retail license was revoked,” the DOR said in a press release.
Bethea also tried to hide money from the state to avoid paying back taxes, according to the DOR.
The DOR said he “attempted to evade payment, according to the warrants, by withdrawing $278,548 from his bank accounts to put the money ‘out of the government’s reach.’ Bethea admitted to agents that he purposely withdrew the money to avoid payment of a levy.”
The state says Bethea “attempted to evade the payment of Individual Income Tax and Sales Taxes from 2011 to 2019 of about $98,934.”
This is not the first time Bethea has been in trouble with tax officials. Court records show he was charged with tax evasion in 2008.
State tax officials accused Bethea in the earlier case of not paying income taxes from 2000 to 2006, according to WISTV.
He pleaded guilty to the earlier charges and was sentenced to five years of probation in 2008.
Bethea was released from the Orangeburg County Detention Center on a $75,000 bond for the most recent charges, court records show.
