Upstate European Market owner arrested on tax and retail license charges

The owner of six European Market grocery stores located in the Upstate was arrested in Anderson County on Wednesday, and faces charges of operating a business without a license and other tax-related charges, according to the South Carolina Department of Revenue.

Natalia Sokil, 46, was charged in both Anderson and Greenville counties this week with two counts of tax evasion and two counts of failing to file a state tax return or pay taxes, according to Department of Revenue reports.

Sokil was detained at the Anderson County Detention Center on July 27 and released on a personal recognizance bond the same day, according to Anderson County jail reports.

On July 25, Sokil and her husband were charged in Spartanburg County with two counts of tax evasion and two counts of failing to file a state tax return. They also were charged with two counts of operating a business without a valid retail license, according to the Department of Revenue.

During an investigation in 2021, The Department of Revenue was able to purchase items in several European Market stores across the Upstate while Sokil did not have a valid retail license, according to a news release. Sokil was convicted of the same crime in Lexington, SC in the same year, according to the Department of Reven.

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A.J. Jackson is a general assignment reporter for the Independent Mail. Contact him by email at ajackson@gannett.com with story ideas and leads, also follow him on Twitter @AJhappened

This article originally appeared on Anderson Independent Mail: European Market owner arrested on tax, retail charges in Anderson, SC