A Mecklenburg County businessman was entangled in legal issues today after being arrested on felony tax charges by the North Carolina Department of Revenue. Prakash Mehta, 72, from Waxhaw, is facing three counts of Embezzlement of State Property, according to officials.
The allegations, as detailed in the indictments, accuse Mehta, president and primary figure behind Shivam, Inc. of Charlotte, of aiding and abetting the corporation in its diversion of roughly $200,902.12 in North Carolina Sales Tax that it was duty-bound to collect and remit between January 1, 2022, and March 31, 2024, reports the North Carolina Department of Revenue.
Following his arrest, Mehta was presented before a Wake County magistrate. Subsequently, he had been released on a $100,000 unsecured bond. The court scheduled a first appearance for the accused on Monday at the Wake County Superior Court in Raleigh.
The North Carolina Department of Revenue's Criminal Investigations Division in Raleigh undertook an extensive investigation, which culminated in the charges against Mehta. The division employs special agents who focus on cases like these, where, tax evasion and misappropriation of government property are suspected. The department has not released further details regarding the case at this time.
