RALEIGH – A Fayetteville man was arrested Wednesday on a felony tax charge filed by the North Carolina Department of Revenue.

Darrian Lionell Washington, 26, of 525 Campbell Terrace was charged on May 5, 2004 with one count of obtaining property by false pretenses.

The arrest warrant alleges that Washington filed a false North Carolina individual income tax return showing that he was employed by a local business and had North Carolina income taxes withheld from his wages. He was not employed by the business and did not have taxes withheld by the company. The return deceived the Department of Revenue and caused the state to issue him an income tax refund greater than he was entitled to receive.

Washington appeared before a Wake County magistrate and was placed under a $5,000 secured bond. A first appearance was scheduled for May 6, 2004 in Wake County District Court in Raleigh.

The charges against Washington resulted from a Department of Revenue investigation into the filing of fraudulent state income tax returns by Fayetteville area residents. Twenty-seven individuals have been arrested in this scheme and more arrests are likely.

Last modified on: 10/31/07 03:43:53 PM .