Owner of tax service business gets 10 years, repaying $5.5M

GREENVILLE — The owner of an income tax service convicted of filing doctored tax returns to the Internal Revenue Service has been sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered to repay $5.5 million.

Mary Wesley was convicted in May in federal court in Greenville of one count of conspiracy to defraud the government and four counts of fraud and false statements. She was acquitted on six other counts. She was sentenced this week.

Wesley and three other owners of the Mid Delta Income Tax Service in Hollandale were indicted in 2009. The others — Patricia Washington, Marie Jackson and Shirley White — have been sentenced for conspiracy to defraud the government.

Internal Revenue Service investigators say Wesley supplied false dependents for clients.