Shakira faces tax fraud charges: A look at other stars convicted of tax-related offenses

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Fox News Flash top entertainment headlines September 28

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Tax-related offenses are not new among Hollywood stars. From Shakira’s most recent accusation of tax evasion to Martha Stewart’s 2002 tax incident with her Hamptons home, stars have had to pay back the government over the years.

Shakira was formally ordered by a Spanish court on Tuesday to stand trial for accusations that she failed to pay 14.5 million euros ($14.31 million) in income taxes between 2012 and 2014.

Shakira was offered a settlement agreement but rejected it in July, choosing to go to trial. Prosecutors in Spain are requesting Shakira be sentenced to eight years and two months in prison and pay a fine of 24 million euros ($24 million) if convicted. 

Hollywood stars including Shakira, Teresa and Joe Giudice and Mike 'The Situation' have been accused of tax-related offenses.  (Getty Images)

Here is a look at other celebrities who have been convicted or faced tax-related offenses. 

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Teresa and Joe Giudice

In 2013, reality stars Teresa and Joe Giudice were indicted on 39 charges of tax fraud, including a charge against Joe for failing to file his tax returns between 2004 and 2008.

"The Real Housewives of New Jersey" stars were charged with two more counts of tax evasion in November 2013. Teresa pleaded guilty to four counts with her now ex-husband, Joe, pleading guilty to five counts, which included failing to file his tax returns.

"Real Housewives of New Jersey" Teresa and Joe Giudice both pleaded guilty to tax evasion charges in 2013. (Photo by Paul Zimmerman)

In October 2014, the couple received their sentences. Teresa was sentenced to 15 months in prison, and Joe was sentenced to 41 months. The couple were ordered to pay $414,588 in restitution. 

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In March 2016, Joe began serving his sentence. Three years later, he was turned over to an immigration detention center in 2018. He was then deported to his native country of Italy.

Martha Stewart 

Martha Stewart has had a history of run-ins with the law. In 2002, she was fined $220,000 for failing to pay taxes on her home in the Hamptons. 

Martha Stewart was fined $220,000 for failing to pay taxes on her home in the Hamptons in 2002. (Getty Images)

Although she did not serve any time for tax evasion, she was sentenced to five months in prison for insider trading in 2004. 

Mike ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino

"Jersey Shore" star Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino was convicted of tax evasion in 2018. The reality star pleaded guilty after being accused of failing to pay taxes on nearly $9 million in earnings from 2010 to 2012. 

Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino was charged in 2014 with multiple tax offenses related to nearly $9 million in income. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan)

He received a sentence of eight months in jail, which he began serving in January 2019, multiple outlets reported.

Wesley Snipes

In 2008, Wesley Snipes was convicted on three misdemeanor counts of tax fraud from 1999 to 2001. The New York Daily News reported that during that time, Snipes had underpaid $7 million in taxes.

Wesley Snipes was sentenced to three years in federal prison for tax evasion. He began serving his sentence in December 2010. (Photo by Gabriel Olsen)

The "Blade" star was sentenced to three years in a Pennsylvania federal prison. He began his sentence in December 2010 and was released on house arrest in April 2013. 

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The actor’s tax problems continued. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Snipes was ordered to pay $9.5 million in back taxes in November 2018. 

Fat Joe

Rapper Fat Joe, whose real name is Joseph Cartagena, received a federal prison sentence after failing to file his income tax returns from 2007 to 2010. The District of New Jersey sentenced him to four months in prison in 2013.

Fat Joe was sentenced to four months in prison for tax evasion in 2013. (Getty Images)

He was fined an additional $15,000 by the government on top of his prison sentence.

Lauryn Hill

Singer Lauryn Hill was sentenced to three months in prison for tax evasion in 2013. The BBC reported that Hill had failed to pay taxes on her income between 2005 and 2007.

Singer Lauryn Hill served three months for tax evasion in 2013. (Vince Bucci)

The star failed to pay $1.8 million on her taxable income between that time, per the outlet. Hill served her sentence at an all-female facility in Connecticut before being released in October 2013, according to the BBC.

Stephen Baldwin

Stephen Baldwin pleaded guilty in March 2013 for not paying income taxes from 2008 to 2010, which totaled $400,000, the Los Angeles Times reported.

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Stephen Baldwin pleaded guilty to not paying income tax between 2008 and 2010. Baldwin said the tax evasion had not been intentional and that he had received bad advice from his lawyers and accountants. He paid his debt within a year, which resulted in him not serving jail time or probation. (Getty Images)

According to CBS News, Baldwin said the tax evasion had not been intentional and said he had received bad advice from his lawyers and accountants. He paid his debt within a year, which resulted in him not serving jail time or probation.