Mike ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino has been sentenced to eight months in federal prison for tax evasion.
The MTV star received his sentencing at a court in Newark, N.J. on Friday morning, and was supported by his fiancée Lauren Pesce, and his Jersey Shore castmates – Jenni ‘JWoww’ Farley, Ronnie Magro-Ortiz, DJ Pauly D, Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi, Deena Cortese, Vinny Guadagnino and Angelina Pivarnick.
Aside from being sentenced to eight months in prison followed by two years of supervised release, Mike must complete 500 hours of community service, and was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine and $123,000 in restitution, which has already been paid.
Meanwhile, the reality star’s brother Marc Sorrentino was sentenced to 24 months in prison, and was also fined $7,500, with restitution to be determined at a later date.
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We are very happy to put this behind us. Thank you So much for all the Love & Support ????????
Back in January, Mike, 36, pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion, while his brother Marc, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of aiding in the preparation of a fraudulent tax return.
Last year, the Sorrentino brothers were indicted for tax evasion, structuring and falsifying records.
This followed a 2014 indictment for other tax offenses, in which federal prosecutors accused them of failing to pay taxes on $8.9 million in earnings.
In 2015, a former tax preparer for the Sorrentinos pleaded guilty to filing fraudulent tax returns for them.
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Following his sentencing, Mike’s attorney Henry E. Klingeman told E! News, “Michael accepts the Court’s judgment. He is looking forward to marrying his college sweetheart, Lauren Pesce, next month, and moving forward together after he serves his sentence.”
The 36-year-old’s lawyer also told the press that they were disappointed with the outcome, as they had hoped for probation.
U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said in a statement, “The law requires all Americans to pay our fair share of taxes. These defendants deliberately flouted this requirement, acting as though fame and celebrity status placed them above the law.They are not.”
“Tax fraud is as serious as any other form of theft from the government, and the sentences imposed today should make that abundantly clear.”
