Charleston Restaurant Owner Finds Himself In Legal Hot Water

In West Ashley's South Windermere Shopping Center, a storefront of modest appearance has been revealed to have been the scene of some breaches of federal law. According to the Charleston Post and Courier, the government has indicted the owner of the Osaka Japanese and Chinese restaurant and his wife for allegedly hiring illegal aliens and deliberately failing to comply with tax laws.

The owner, Dao Ping Lin, is specifically accused of the hiring of undocumented workers and of underpaying his income taxes. Jin Xiang Yang, his wife, has been indicted for "structuring bank withdrawals to avoid federal scrutiny of their bank activity." In general, the crimes are supposed to have been committed in the period between 2009 and 2011, and the indictments follow a federal raid of the business that occurred in February 2011, for which no reason was given at the time.

For all of what it considers to be Lin and Yang's suspicious and criminal activity over the past few years, the federal government and the IRS are seeking a judgment for a minimum of $319,699. The investigation is still ongoing, and as a result, it's probably safe to say that Osaka isn't exactly a must-visit if you're in Charleston for now.