Two casino boat owners charged with tax fraud
A married couple who oversaw Star Dancer casino boat operations in Little River and Florida were indicted Thursday by federal grand jury for tax fraud, the U.S. Attorneys Office for South Carolina reported.
Samuel Andrew Gray, 65, and Marilyn D. Gray, 68, both of Duluth, Ga., were charged with 18 counts of withholding $1.15 million in employee income tax from the federal government during 2001 and 2002.
If convicted, they face a maximum fine of $10,000 and five years in prison.
Star Dancer operated out of Little River until early 2003 and also had Florida operations in Madeira Beach, Port Ritchie and Tarpon Springs.
U.S. prosecutors allege that the couple collected income tax from about 200 to 300 employees but never turned over the money to the Internal Revenue Service.
Samuel Gray was listed as president and chief executive officer for the Star Dancer casino operations. Marilyn Gray was the executive vice president.The Grays were summoned to appear before a judge Sept. 12 in Florence for an arraignment.
The U.S. Attorneys Office asked for summons rather than an arrest warrant for the couple because they are not considered a flight risk, said Kevin McDonald, chief assistant U.S. attorney for general crimes.
The U.S. Attorneys Office charge the crime took place between April 2001 and November 2002 through the Star Dancer headquarters in Little River, which also handled the Florida operations.
The Star Dancer investigation grew out of an Ohio case in which a bank employee embezzled money and invested it in the Grays company, said U.S. Attorney Bill Day, who is prosecuting the case.
"They got to here and looked at the [company] records," Day said. "A lot of the boats were seized in the Ohio case, and they were forfeited."
The prosecution tracked the employee tax money the Grays are accused of holding..
"They spent more than they withheld during that time period," Day said.
2005-08-12
