Celebrities Convicted Of Tax Evasion

As the celebrity saying goes; there is no such thing as bad publicity. Well, that is until they are caught and convicted for tax evasion. You might think that being rich, celebrities do not mind paying their taxes. And maybe you would be right, but there are many reasons they blame tax evasion on, from taking bad advice from lawyers and accountants to just plain ignorance. Read about these celebrities who were busted and convicted for tax evasion. Lets know about Celebrities Convicted Of Tax Evasion.

Celebrities Convicted Of Tax Evasion

Here Are Celebrities Who Tax Fraud Convicts

Wesley Snipes

The famous “Blade” actor made a profit of around $38 million between 1999 and 2006. He never reported to the IRS for tax returns. In 2008, Wesley Snipes was arrested on three charges relating to failing to file his tax returns from that period.

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In the December of 2010, Snipe began to serve a 3-year sentence in a Pennsylvania federal prison. He spent the last few months of his sentence under house arrest and was released in July 2019.

In 2018, it was reported in the media that the IRS had back for Snipes again, this time ordering him to pay almost $10 million in back taxes.

Nicolas Cage

Nicolas Cage owns several lavish mansions, a yacht, exotic pets such as a crocodile and shark, and is said to have even bought a dinosaur skull. From 1996 to 2011, he earned over $150 million from his successful career. What he failed to do was to pay the IRS its dues during that period.

Around 2008 – 09, the actor was a $6 million tax lien by the IRS. He blamed his manager’s negligence for his woes and sued him.

Sinbad

Sinbad is a standup comedian. The American comedian owed the IRS back taxes amounting to $8 million in his earnings from 1998 to 2006. He also failed to pay taxes to the state of California from 2009 onwards.

In 2013, he was ordered to pay up and eventually filed for bankruptcy the same year.

Stephen Baldwin

The famous Baldwin brother blamed his tax troubles on the bad advice he said he received from his lawyers and accountants.

Stephen Baldwin had to plead guilty to not paying $400 thousand worth in income taxes to the state of New York. The amount came from failure to file tax returns in 2008, 2009, and 2010.

He was not sentenced to time in jail, though, and he paid off the debt within one year.

Fat Joe

Fat Joe was convicted in 2012 on charges of failing to file tax returns. The rapper reportedly owed the IRS more than $3 million in income taxes.

He got a sentence of a few months in prison, including a fine of $15,000 and one year of probation after his release. He was released early in 2013.

Teresa Giudice and Joe Giudice

The two are famous for starring in “The Real Housewives of New Jersey.” Perhaps one of the most famous tax convictions in recent times, Teresa and Joe Giudice were convicted and sentenced in October 2014. They were arrested on 39 fraud and tax charges. 

In addition to Teresa’s sentence of about a year, and Joe’s sentence of 41 months in prison, the two had to pay $414,500 in restitution costs. 

Teresa spent 11 months before being released in December 2015. Joe only began his time in prison in 2016. He was also handed a deportation ruling in 2018, which ordered his deportation to Italy upon completing his sentence.

After his release, Giudice was sent packing to Italy in 2019.

Richard Hatch

Richard Hatch is the inaugural winner of the hit American reality series, Survivor. He won it in 2000.

In May 2006, the Survivor star found himself in tax trouble and was handed a 51-month prison sentence for tax evasion and falsifying tax returns for the years 2000 and 2001. Hatch had made around $1 million in earnings for that period.

He was released from jail in 2009 but was sent back to prison in 2011 for failing to refile and pay back the owed taxes. He served nine months this time and got out in December 2011.

Lauryn Hill

The Fugees’ lead singer Lauryn Hill was arrested and convicted in 2013 for not paying around $1.8 million in taxes. She had not paid her taxes for 2 years between 2005 and 2007 and faced up to 3 years in prison. 

She repaid some of the taxes she owed to the IRS and the State of New Jersey and spent 3 months in prison and paid a $60,000 fine.

Conclusion

Those were just some of the entertainment world’s elite who found themselves facing the taxman. There are notable others like Snoop Dogg, Martha Stewart, Tony Braxton, and Lil Wayne but the list is endless. The lesson here is this: the taxman always collects his dues.

Celebrities Convicted Of Tax Evasion

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