On Wednesday July 15, 2015 Georgia Department of Revenue agents along with the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office apprehended Irving Hilton Pope Jr. and Debra Harvill Pope, owners of East Dublin Concrete Products.  The East Dublin Concrete Company failed to remit $365,125.39 in Georgia sales and use tax from 2010 to 2014. In addition to stolen sales tax, investigators also discovered $60,264.28 in stolen employee withholdings and the couple owing the state over $3,000 in income tax.

The Georgia Department of Revenue opened a criminal investigation into the business in October of 2014. Previous to the criminal investigation, the Georgia Department of Revenue Regional office in Macon tried for years to bring the business into full compliance. Unfortunately the business did not comply and their sales tax license was revoked.

Josh Waites, Director of the Office of Special Investigations said “The Pope’s do a disservice to the thousands of Georgia small businesses who comply with Georgia Tax Law. We will continue to find and track others who are cheating the state.”

Search warrants and evidence collection occurred at the business as well as the home of the Pope’s.

Criminal indictments include two charges each theft by taking (felony), OCGA § 16-8-2, one charge each evasion of income tax more than $3,000.00 (felony), OCGA § 48-7-5 and one charge each engaging in business as a seller without sales & use tax certification (misdemeanor).

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