If there’s one thing we can all count on, whether you’re a celebrity or not, it’s having to pay our taxes every year. The experts at Rebound Finance handle tax debt and the issues caused by it every day. The one thing they know for sure is that tax debt and taxes, in general, need to be dealt with on a consistent basis, no matter who you are. With that in mind, here are five stars that couldn’t keep up with their taxes and ended up in prison because of it.
Lauryn Hill
Hill is a 5-time Grammy winning artist and a former member of the Fugees. She served three months in a prison for failing to pay well over $1 million in taxes. Her total tax debt ended up being about $2.3 million, which she claimed she wanted to pay but didn’t have to money to do so.
There is no doubting Pete Rose is one of the best baseball players ever but is largely known for his off-the-field antics. In addition to betting on baseball, Rose has faced some real trouble with taxes. He spent five months in prison for failing to report hundreds of thousands of dollars of income.
Ja Rule
In 2011, Ja Rule pled guilty to not filing tax returns and agreed to pay over a million dollars in back taxes. He didn’t file for numerous years, despite having an income. He was sentenced to 28 months in prison for tax evasion, as well as gun possession. He ended up serving 26 months.
Wesley Snipes
In 2008, Snipes was convicted of three counts of failing to submit tax returns from 1999 to 2001. It was reported that Snipes kept about $7 million in taxes from the government. As a result, he ended up not only paying $5 million back to the government, but he also spent nearly three years in prison.
Richard Hatch
In 2000, Hatch achieved worldwide fame for being the first ever winner of Survivor. He won $1 million, but when it was time to pay taxes, he lied and said that the TV network paid them. However, 6-years later, Hatch was found guilty and was sentenced to serve a 6 year sentence as a result. He returned for another prison term in 2011 for failing to file his taxes yet again.
Expert Tax Advice From The Rebound Finance Team
When it comes to tax issues, you need to deal with them head-on. Always make sure you get in contact with the appropriate officials to verify that everyone is on the same page. Then you need to come up with a plan based on the issue you’re dealing with. If you owe back taxes and are struggling to come up with the cash, we suggest our tax debt relief program. For more information on this and the other debt relief options we provide, visit www.reboundfinance.com.