Lauryn Hill pleads guilty in NJ to tax charges.
Eight-time Grammy winning singer Lauryn Hill entered a guilty plea on charges of income tax evasion Friday in a New Jersey court, and could face up to three years in prison when sentenced in November.
Intending to pay back the money she owed — an amount based on the $1.8 million she earned over a three-year period — the mother of six, 37, argued that she was targeted by the feds because of her celebrity status.
“There are many people in society who fail to file their taxes on time who only face civil liability,” Hill’s lawyer, Nathan Hockman, said in court Friday, according to The New Jersey Star-Ledger. “They chose Ms. Hill in particular because of who she was.”
Rising to fame as a member of The Fugees, Hill took to her personal website earlier this month to explain why she failed to file her tax returns
“I did not deliberately abandon my fans, nor did I deliberately abandon any responsibilities, but I did however put my safety, health and freedom and the freedom, safety and health of my family first over all other material concerns!” she blogged.
Expected to perform a July 4 concert in Philadelphia, Hill will continue touring in an effort to earn revenue to make up the money she owes the government.
Source: Us Weekly
