Celebrity tax troubles, high-profile scandals, and what the ultra-wealthy get away with — or don’t — when it comes to taxes.
Lou Pearlman, the man who (a) created some of the most successful boy bands in music history or (b) kickstarted a trend that killed the music industry – depending on your point of view – was sentenced to 25 years in prison following a plea in March to two counts of conspiracy and single counts…
Tax officials have a message for Rev. Al Sharpton: pay up. The IRS has filed personal liens against Sharpton totaling nearly $1 million (the actual value of the lien as of last spring was $931,397). Sharpton also owes nearly $365,558 to the City of New York for unpaid personal income tax; his for-profit company, Rev….
I mean, his legal appeal, of course. I don’t get his media appeal – other than White Men Can’t Jump, which was admittedly entertaining, I am not a fan. Blade, in particular, just isn’t my cup of tea. That said, in legal news, lawyers for Wesley Snipes have filed notice with the 11th Circuit to…
That stalwart of tax news and information, E! Online, is reporting that one of Britney Spears’ numerous name-brand companies, Britney Online, Inc., owes $23,589.17 in California taxes from 2004. The state has slapped the company with a lien. Until the back taxes are paid, interest and penalty will continue to accrue. E! isn’t reporting whether…
After being sentenced to the maximum three years in federal prison for his convictions on tax evasion charges, Wesley Snipes vowed to appeal. Interestingly, just before the sentence was announced, Snipes asked the court to show mercy and paid $5 million. His checks were cashed – to be applied towards the amount Snipes allegedly owes…
Wesley Snipes has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for his conviction on tax evasion charges. I’ll post more information as it becomes available.
Unfortunately, those judges that did say good things on Snipes’ behalf don’t really matter in this case… Yep, TV judges Joe Brown and Greg Mathis offered character references for Wesley Snipes for his sentencing hearing. Judge Joe Brown noted that he was writing “not as a celebrity” (good because I don’t know that I would…
If you’d like to read the entire argument made in favor of the maximum sentence, you can read the US Sentencing Memorandum here by downloading it as a pdf (it’s 37 pages!).
A reader asked what the “per day” sentencing would be in the Wesley Snipes tax trial… What a great question! If the maximum sentence of three years was imposed for the alleged $2.7 million dollars that Wesley Snipes evaded in tax (according to prosecutors), that works out to one day served for every $2,465.75 in…
Wesley Snipes will find out today whether he will spend time in prison for convictions on three misdemeanor counts of willfully failing to file taxes. Snipes was acquitted on other misdemeanor and felony charges by a jury in February. I am exactly sure what to expect for sentencing – I thought for sure he would…