From: IndependentMail.com (Anderson, South Carolina)
By Mike Ellis
Six people from South Carolina have pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of cigarette smuggling in several states.
They were among more than a dozen people from several states who were arrested in November 2011 on charges of running or participating in a large cigarette bootlegging ring running between Virginia and South Carolina.
The people are accused of buying about $33 million worth of cigarettes and tobacco from undercover agents in Virginia before circumventing laws to sell the cigarettes, sometimes with fake tax stickers, in states including South Carolina, New York and Pennsylvania.
Joesph Emmanuel, Viresh “Vic” Patel, Purvinkumar “Marvin” Patel, Preston McCurley, Chris Moneyhan and Boss Ramsey have entered guilty pleas, according to a federal asset forfeiture document filed June 7.
Four other South Carolina residents — Anjay “Jay” Patel, Shilpaben Patel, Sheena Emmanuel and Phil White — have been included on asset forfeiture lists with the other six but have not entered guilty pleas.
Emmanuel, a Mauldin resident, told undercover investigators that South Carolina’s 2010 cigarette tax increase was like winning the lottery, according to indictments. Emmanuel entered guilty pleas in March to eight of the more than 175 charges he originally faced, ranging from cigarette tax forgery to money laundering.
He and the others who have entered guilty pleas have sentencing scheduled for January.
The others will face trials in September in a West Virginia-based federal court, according to court documents.
Asset forfeiture lists show that federal officials are looking at millions of dollars in assets. The list includes $188,676 in cash from Ramsey alone, $1.1 million from the sale of seized tobacco, a fake Rolex along with several valuable gold watches, several million dollars in various bank holdings and 45 South Carolina real estate holdings worth $8.7 million.
Anjay Patel had $1,447,280 in cash seized while agents took a $6,000 loose 1.5-caret diamond stone from one of Emmanuel’s bedrooms.
The properties on the seizure list include several Upstate businesses, among them an Anderson warehouse on Metro Drive and numerous homes in Greenwood, Spartanburg, Laurens and Gaffney.
