Famous Tax Scandals

Sophia Loren

The Academy Award winning Italian actress and beauty made headlines in 1982 when she served an 18-day sentence for tax evasion in an Italian prison.

Next: Wesley Snipes

Wesley Snipes

The actor ran into trouble in 2006 when the government accused Snipes of failing to file tax returns for the years 1999 through 2004.

Snipes was sentenced last year to three years in prison following his conviction on three misdemeanor tax charges. He is free on bail while appealing his conviction. Apparently afraid Snipes is a flight risk, 'The Smoking Gun' reports that federal prosecutors are currently opposing the actor's request to travel to Africa and Europe to film movies.

Next: Richard Hatch

Richard Hatch

Famous for being the first winner of the popular reality TV show 'Survivor,' Hatch neglected to pay taxes on his $1 million grand prize.

Hatch was convicted in 2006 of tax evasion and sentenced to 51 months in prison, plus three years of supervised release after serving his sentence. Hoping to overturn his conviction, Hatch filed a last-ditch appeal, but in Oct. 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take the case and let the original ruling stand.

Next: Leona Helmsley

Leona Helmsley

After claiming some $2.6 million worth of phony business expenses, the 'Queen of Mean' was found guilty of tax fraud in 1992 and spent four years in prison.

At her trial, one witness testified that Helmsley had boasted: "We don't pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes."

Next: Marc Anthony

Marc Anthony

Jennifer Lopez's husband and latin singing superstar Marc Anthony agreed to pay $2.5 million in back taxes, interest and penalties for his failure to file returns for five years between 2000 and 2004.

Anthony was not prosecuted because he thought his accountant had filed them.

Next: Richard Pryor

Richard Pryor

The actor/comedian served 10 days in a Los Angeles county jail in 1974 for tax evasion following a tax investigation.

According to Pryor, he told the judge he forgot to pay. The judge told Pryor he'd remember to pay the next year.

Next: Luciano Pavarotti

Luciano Pavarotti

The world-famous Italian opera singer was twice the subject of a tax investigation and accused of tax evasion: once in 1999 and again in 2001. The second time he was acquitted, but in '99, he did have to pay nearly $11 million to the Italian government.

Next: Spiro Agnew

Spiro Agnew

The former vice-president to Richard Nixon pleaded no contest to charges of tax evasion and money laundering in 1973. Agnew agreed to resign, received three years' probation and paid a $10,000 fine.

Next: Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart

Before her recent jail time for insider trading, the queen of domesticity found herself in trouble when a judge ruled her claim of not spending a lot of time at her East Hampton, N.Y., home wasn't a good excuse for failing to pay $220,000 in state taxes.

Next: Willie Nelson

Willie Nelson

In 1990, the country music legend was hit with a bill for $16.7 million in back taxes from the IRS. To help him pay it, the IRS confiscated and auctioned off his assets. Fortunately for Nelson, many of them were bought by fans and given back to him.

Nelson later made fun of his tax troubles with ads for H&R Block.

Next: Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

On Feb. 17, 1960, a warrant was issued for Dr. King's arrest on charges he had falsified his 1956 and 1958 Alabama state income tax returns. An all-white jury acquitted him in May.

Supporters have noted such charges were often used to discredit leaders of the U.S. civil-rights movement.

Next: Chuck Berry

Chuck Berry

The rock and roll legend famous for 'Johnny B. Goode' and other rock classics spent the 1970s touring and getting paid in cash ... something the IRS noted. He pleaded guilty in 1979 and was ordered to perform 1,000 hours of benefit shows after serving four months in prison.

Next: Dennis Kozlowski

Marion Barry

In late 2005 the former mayor of the District of Columbia, pled guilty to criminal tax charges of failing to file a tax return. He was sentenced to three years probation.

The IRS has now filed a new motion to revoke Barry's probation since not only has he failed to file his 2005 return, he didn't file his 2007 return either. In response to these allegations Barry has responded that he has been on dialysis, and that he has been too distracted to focus on his tax returns.

Next: Paul Hogan

Dennis Kozlowski

The former Tyco CEO's tax woes began in 2002 when he bought $13 million worth of paintings to grace his Manhattan apartment. He tried to avoid paying sales taxes by making it appear as if they were shipped out of state. Kozlowski stepped down after the indictment and is currently serving a 25-year sentence for his other dubious business practices.

Next: Al Capone

Al Capone

The granddaddy of 'em all. Legend has it that the notorious gangster once remarked that tax laws were a joke because "the government can't collect legal taxes on illegal money."

The IRS charged the infamous Chicago mob boss with failure to pay four years' worth of taxes. Capone was sentenced to 11 years in jail and an $80,000 fine in 1931.

Next: Boris Becker

Boris Becker

The German tennis great avoided jail in 2002 when he was convicted of tax evasion. He admitted he lived in Germany while claiming to reside in Monte Carlo. He was given two years' probation and fined $500,000.

He decided he didn't want to pay any more taxes in Germany, and moved to tax heaven in Switzerland.

Next: Don King

Don King

The boxing promoter who promoted major fights for Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield was charged with 29 counts of tax evasion and fraud charges in 1985. Prosecutors alleged he and a partner had conspired to divert over $1 million in corporate receipts to their personal use, but King was acquitted of all charges.

Next: Heidi Fleiss

Heidi Fleiss

The "Hollywood Madam" ran one of the most successful escort services in the business and apparently failed to report her ill-gotten income to the IRS.
She was convicted in 1997 for pandering, tax evasion and money laundering and sentenced to three years. When she got out, Fleiss wrote about it all in her memoir, 'Pandering'.

Next: Joseph Nunan

Joseph Nunan

The most ironic is probably someone you never heard of. His name is Joseph Nunan. He was the IRS commissioner from 1944-47.

In 1952, he was busted for evading taxes. It turned out that Nunan had won a $1,800 bet that Harry Truman would win the presidential election but failed to report his winnings to the IRS.

More: Popular Tax Features

Ruben Studdard

Ruben Studdard of 'American Idol' fame is in a bit of tax trouble, owing almost $200,000 to the IRS and the Alabama Department of Revenue. Most of that relates to 2003, the year in which Studdard snagged a $1 million record deal by way of his win on the television show. He is reportedly working on an album that will be released in May 2009, so his chances of paying off his tax debts are a bit better.

Next: Joe Francis

Joe Francis

The creator of 'Girls Gone Wild' is accused of getting a little crazy with his tax deductions. Joe Francis has been accused of fraudulent tax deductions totaling $20 million on the tax returns of his corporation, Mantra Films. He has pleaded not guilty, but could face up to 10 years in prison and $500,000 in fines, in addition to paying back taxes.

Next: Marion Barry

Melissa Etheridge

In protest of California's Proposition 8 passing, and essentially outlawing gay marriage, Melissa Etheridge stated publicly that she was not going to pay any state taxes. Her theory was that if she isn't granted the same rights as other citizens (i.e. the right to marry the person she loves, regardless of gender) then she isn't a "full" citizen and has no obligation to pay taxes. She has since said that she will make a final decision on whether or not she pays taxes by April 15, but nothing has yet been announced.

Next: Ruben Studdard

Paul Hogan

Aussie actor Paul Hogan is accused of owing more than $100 million, and Australian tax authorities have enlisted the help of the American Internal Revenue Service to collect it. His response? "Come and get me, you miserable bastards." He says he's paid the Australian government even more than he was legally required to, and isn't inclined to pay them anything further, no matter what they do.

Next: Darryl Strawberry

Darryl Strawberry

In the mid-1990s, Major League Baseball player Darryl Strawberry was convicted of tax evasion. But he never paid the tax bill, so in 2008, he was back in court. A judge ordered Strawberry to pay over $430,000 in back taxes, interest, and penalties. The income at the heart of his unpaid taxes was earned in 1989 and 1990. How's that for taking as long as possible to pay the IRS?

Next: O.J. Simpson

O.J. Simpson

O.J. Simpson, who is quite possibly the celebrity with the most time spent in legal trouble, can add tax woes to his long list of problems. In 2008, he was named on California's list of most delinquent taxpayers. Simpson owes more than $1.4 million to the state. California is unlikely to see that money anytime soon, as Simpson currently resides in a Nevada prison thanks to his conviction for kidnapping and armed robbery.

Next: Sinbad

Helio Castroneves

Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves, who more recently achieved fame with his win on 'Dancing With the Stars,' was acquitted on April 17 of tax evasion, but the jury was hung on a related conspiracy charge. He was originally charged for failing to report $5 million in income to the IRS. His lawyer said that he never actually received the money from a deal with Penske Racing, and therefore legitimately did not owe taxes on it.

Next: Dionne Warwick

Ronald Isley

Ronald Isley of the R&B group the Isley Brothers was convicted of tax evasion in 2006 and sentenced to 37 months in federal prison. He was also ordered to pay $3.1 million in back taxes to the IRS related to his conviction on five counts of tax evasion and one count of willful failure to file tax return. Isley's attorney tried to keep him out of jail based on his age and health problems, but had no luck. Isley is scheduled to get out of prison in early 2010.

Next: Timothy Geithner

Timothy Geithner

Despite Vice President Joe Biden's campaign trail claim that paying taxes was "patriotic," the Obama administration doesn't seem focused on paying their own taxes. (Guess that means it's patriotic for everyone else?) Geithner became the Treasury Secretary after paying $42,000 in back taxes and interest (but, interestingly, no penalties assessed) owed on some income he received while working for the International Monetary Fund. Is it too ironic for the IRS to be "confused" about what's taxable?

Next: Allen Stanford

Allen Stanford

Not only is Texas billionaire Allen Stanford accused of perpetrating an $8 billion Ponzi scheme, the Internal Revenue Service is also after him for unpaid taxes. The total allegedly owed for the tax years 1999 through 2003 is almost $227 million. He also has not filed a 2007 tax return, and likely owes the IRS for that year too.

Next: Obama Nominees

Obama Nominees

Several of Barack Obama's nominees for administration positions withdrew themselves from the process after it was discovered they had unreported income and unpaid taxes. Ron Kirk, the nominee for U.S. Trade Representative owed $10,000 in back taxes. Tom Daschle withdrew himself from nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services after it was revealed that he owed over $128,000 in back taxes and interest. Completing the trifecta was Nancy Killefer. She was found to have unpaid taxes on household employees, and withdrew herself from consideration.

Next: Celebs Paying Up

Celebs Paying Up

Robert Downey Jr. has had tax troubles since the early 1990s, but he's finally paid off what he owes. Tommy Lee, drummer for Motley Crue, paid off his $214,000 tax bill a few years ago. And boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. owed over $6 million to the IRS, but a substantial chunk of that has been paid off. It seems like his $20 million in boxing winnings from 2007 may have played a bit part in him paying his taxes.

More: See Last Year's Roundup

Burt Reynods

When California released the names of its 250 "top tax scofflaws" in April, some celebrities made the list. While he was just barely on the list, Burt Reynolds made it in at #244.

With his main residence listed as Jupiter, FL, the state lists him as owing just over $255,000. If that's the low end of the list, it's not hard to see how the list of 250 owed $143 million in back taxes collectively.

More: Melissa Etheridge

Dionne Warwick

Singer Dionne Warwick made the top 10 of tax scofflaws in California, owing $2.2 million in back personal taxes, coming in at number 9, according to the Los Angeles Times.

While that might be a good ranking for record sales, it's not so good on this kind of list. She owes even more than O.J. Simpson did last year -- his outstanding bill was $1.5 million -- but he was taken off the list, according to the Los Angeles Times, because of his jail sentence. Warwick's spokesperson says that a payment arrangement was already in motion at the time the list was published.
Next: Burt Reynolds

Sinbad

Comedian Sinbad (official name: Sinbad Adkins) was the celebrity owing the most on the list of back tax scofflaws released by the Franchise Tax Board in California. He is listed as owing $2.6 million in back personal taxes, making him number seven on the list of 250.

Sinbad had no comment when the Los Angeles Times contacted his representative before the list was published.

Next: Ronald Isley

Most Popular Features

Check out some of the most popular tax features on WalletPop.com:

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