Upstate store operator pleads guilty to tax evasion for SC sales

The operator of a chain of Upstate convenience and liquor stores pleaded guilty to state tax evasion on June 10 after he was accused of underreporting sales by more than $3 million.

​Yagneshkumar Pravin Patel, 45, of Piedmont, was the operator of Yadhi Groups LLC and Yadhi Spirits LLC, with stores in Greenville, Pickens, Anderson and Spartanburg counties, according to a news release from the South Carolina Department of Revenue. According to arrest warrants, Patel reported taxable sales of more than $770,000 between 2016 and 2021.

However, an investigation found his actual taxable sales to be more than $4.2 million, the news release stated. He was charged in September 2024 with six counts of tax evasion.

Patel pleaded guilty on June 10 to one count of tax evasion but admitted to guilt in each of the six tax years for which he was originally charged, the release stated.

Circuit Judge Walton McLeod sentenced Patel to five years in prison, suspended to five years of probation, with the requirement that he pay $231,408 in restitution for the sales tax he owed. That probation can be terminated early if Patel repays the entire amount of restitution ordered, according to the release.

The Department of Revenue says it is committed to the fair administration of tax laws. By taking enforcement action against noncompliant taxpayers, the department seeks to prevent unfairly increasing the tax burden on those who do comply, the release said.​

Tax crimes such as tax evasion or tax fraud can be reported to using the Tax Violation Complain From (pdf) and sending it to [email protected] or S.C. Department of Revenue, Attn: Fraud Advisor, 2070 Northbrook Blvd., Suite B7, North Charleston, SC 29406.