All Articles Tagged "federal prison"
Lauryn Hill Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion, Faces Three Years In Prison
For six years, beloved Grammy award-winning singer Lauryn Hill has maintained sporadic appearances in the media. But now, she’s back in the news, and this time it’s not for singing. MSNBC.com reports that Hill plead guilty in Newark, New Jersey’s federal court to three counts of failing to file federal income tax returns. Hill faces a maximum penalty of one year in prison for each count and a $100,000 fine.
The 37-year-old hip hop singer and rapper is best known for 1998 Grammy solo album “The Mis-Education of Lauren Hill,” as well as being a former member of the Fugees. The charges against her maintain that she did not file federal returns between 2005 and 2007, despite earning an income of over $1.8 million, most of which came from film and recording royalties.
Hill was released on $150,000 bail. US District Judge Michael Shipp said Hill was allowed to leave the country for music tours and the condition that she must undergo mental health counseling. Although Hill has been in counseling for the past ten years, her lawyer asserts that it was family counseling and not mental health counseling.
In court Hill said very little and left without making a statement. In a previous statement earlier this month, Hill said she had chosen to “defer” payments during a period of seclusion from society to protect her family. Her earlier lengthy statement also mentioned her protest against the manipulation of “a media-protected military industrial complex,” as well as a commercialized music industry and her comprised freedom of speech.
Her sentencing date is set for November 27.


