Lauryn Hill Released from Jail

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Music, Legal Issues,

Lauryn Hill has been released from jail. The former Fugees singer has left federal prison after serving a three-month sentence for tax evasion, TMZ has confirmed.

The "Killing Me Softly With His Song" singer was released early yesterday morning from the minimum security Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut. Lauryn was locked up on July 8 after failing to pay taxes of more than $1.8 million in income she earned between 2005 and 2007. Her sentence also took into account income and tax losses for 2008 and 2009, taking the total to approximately $2.3 million.

The 38-year-old star has been using her time behind bars wisely, channelling her energy into her new track "Consumerism," which she wrote before going to jail and worked to get ready for release while inside. "She wanted to get this music out while she was incarcerated, as it is a product of the space she was in while she was going through some of the challenges she has been faced with recently," a post on her official website reads.

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Lauryn Hill Jailed

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Music, Legal Issues,

Lauryn Hill has been jailed for three months for tax evasion.

The 37-year-old former Fugees singer was told by a court in Newark, New Jersey that she will also have to spend three months on house arrest and nine months of supervised release, despite her attorney claiming during the hearing yesterday that she had managed to repay more than $970,000 of her debt.

Lauryn - who pleaded guilty last year to three counts of tax evasion for failing to file returns on $1.8 million she earned from 2005 to 2007- had asked for leniency because of her six children and charity commitments. She insisted she had always intended to pay but couldn't return to music to earn the money because of her family.

"I needed to be able to earn so I could pay my taxes, without compromising the health and welfare of my children," she said.

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Stephen Baldwin Arrested Over $350K Tax Bill

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Movies, Legal Issues, Rumors,

Stephen Baldwin has been arrested over an alleged unpaid $350,000 tax bill.

The 46-year-old actor is accused of failing to pay income tax in Rockland County, 15 miles northwest of Manhattan, for the years 2008, 2009 and 2010 and was bailed pending a February 2013 court appearance.

Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Zugibe told the New York Daily News, "At a time when Rockland County and New York State face severe fiscal shortfalls, we cannot afford to allow wealthy residents to break the law by cheating on their taxes. The defendant's repetitive failure to file returns and pay taxes over a period of several years contributes to the sweeping cutbacks and closures in local government and in our schools."

The arrest comes six months after a court rejected born-again Christian Stephen's claim that he and a friend missed out on a lucrative contract with oil company BP thanks to Kevin Costner and his business partner in oil cleanup, Patrick Smith.

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Lionel Richie Owes $1.1 Million in Taxes

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Music,

Lionel Richie reportedly owes over $1.1 million in unpaid taxes. The soul singer, who resides in Los Angeles, has been hit with a lien - an official claim against his property - for the payment of his debt which totals $1,130,609, according to TMZ.com.

The musician has racked up a huge number of hits over the years, including "Hello," "Dancing On The Ceiling" and "Easy Like Sunday Morning," and according to legal documents he is worth a reputed $200 million.

If Lionel - who recently released a duets album, Tuskegee, featuring new versions of his greatest hits - fails to pay the bill then the American government could repossess his property to clear the debt. His representative is yet to comment on the claims.

The 62-year-old star - the father of Nicole Richie - will next appear alongside Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Nettles and Robin Thicke as judges on new TV show Duets.

Celebrity Chatter: Snipes’ Conviction Upheld, Monjack’s Cause of Death Revealed

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Movies, Music, Television, Dating, Divorce, Legal Issues,

-Will Wesley Snipes finally start serving his three-year prison sentence? Last week, a federal appeals panel upheld the actor’s tax evasion conviction. Prosecutors have since asked to have his bail revoked.

-According to nosy restaurant neighbors, Julianne Hough told friends she originally thought Ryan Seacrest - her current boyfriend - was gay. (That tension between Ryan and Simon Cowell is undeniable.)

-It turns out Christina Milian’s marriage was having problems for quite some time. The-Dream actually filed for divorce even before their baby girl was born.

-We finally know why Simon Monjack passed away five months after his wife, Brittany Murphy, did. The 40-year-old died as a result of acute pneumonia and severe anemia - the same factors in Murphy’s death.

Helio Castroneves Indicted for Tax Evasion

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Sports, Television, Legal Issues,

UPDATE: Castroneves was acquitted on six counts of tax evasion. A mistrial was declared on the seventh count.

Have we learned nothing from Richard Hatch and Wesley Snipes?

Helio Castroneves, the former winner of Dancing with the Stars, was indicted today for federal tax evasion. According to the indictment obtained in Miami, the 33-year-old underpaid the government between 1999-2004.

Helio, along with along with his sister (Katiucia Castroneves) and lawyer, are currently being accused of hiding over $5 million of the race car driver’s earnings. The trio allegedly tried “to conceal and disguise the true and correct amount”  by using an offshore Panamanian shell corporation. Each defendant faces charges of conspiracy “for the purpose of impeding, impairing, obstructing, and defeating the lawful government functions of the Internal Revenue Service.”

According to the Miami Herald, all three are expected to appear in federal court tomorrow morning. Convictions on all counts could equate to approximately 30 years in prison per person.

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Miami Herald