Former Horry Co. vape shop owner charged, owes thousands in unpaid taxes, officials say

The former owner of an Horry County vape shop owes thousands in unpaid taxes after allegedly filing fraudulent tax returns and under reporting sales by nearly $1 million, according to a release from the S.C. Department of Revenue.

James Weldon Faulk was arrested by SCDOR agents Monday morning and is charged with four counts of attempting to evade sale tax.

SCDOR agents discovered Faulk, who owned Vapor Plus in Loris, reported sales of $120,915 from 2015 to 2018 when actual sales totaled $1,002,513. As a result, the 69-year-old North Carolina man evaded paying a total of $66,001 in sales tax due in South Carolina, according to the arrest warrant.

Faulk faces up to five years in prison on each charge and/or fines up to $10,000.

He is currently being held at J. Reuben Long Detention Center pending a bond hearing.

This story was originally published April 29, 2019 at 11:23 AM.