Troy Benjamin Bittner, a 55-year-old resident of Myrtle Beach, has been sentenced to over three years in federal prison following his guilty plea to charges of wire fraud and filing a false tax return.
According to evidence from the investigation, Bittner committed these offenses between November 2020 and December 2021 while serving as a general manager at Carolina Pines RV Resort in Conway. During this period, he generated unauthorized customer refunds totaling $828,516 for completed reservations. These refunds were then transferred to his personal bank accounts. Additionally, Bittner stole cash from the resort's point-of-sale system by documenting it as refunds. He also understated his income on tax returns for 2020 and 2021, leading to a tax loss of $281,727.
United States District Judge Joseph Dawson III handed down a sentence of 37 months imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release. Bittner was also ordered to pay restitution amounting to $1,219,894.72.
The case is part of broader efforts by the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force established on May 17, 2021. The task force aims to combat pandemic-related fraud by coordinating resources across government agencies.
This investigation involved multiple agencies including the United States Secret Service, IRS Criminal Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, and FBI Columbia Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Hummel is handling the prosecution.
For those with information about attempted COVID-19 related frauds, reports can be made through the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline or via their web complaint form.