Despite paying over $900,000 in back taxes, a judge today found the entertainer guilty of tax evasion and ordered her to prison. Hill’s sentencing could be as much as three months.
“I am a child of former slaves who had a system imposed on them,” Lauryn told U.S. Magistrate Madeline Cox Arleo. “I had an economic system imposed on me.”
Hill, who earned about $2.3 million between 2005 and 2009, failed to pay the appropriate taxes on those earnings. She repaid up to $900,000 in recent days, but still owes interests and fees on the original amount.
Hill stated that greed in the music industry caused her to leave the industry to protect her family.
There were veiled threats, there was blacklisting. I was told, ‘That’s how it goes, it comes with the territory.’ I came to be perceived as a cash cow and not a person. When people capitalize on a persona, they forget there is a person in there.”
Yahoo reports that Hill will still pay $60,000 in fees after serving her 3 months in jail. After she is released, she would also spend her first three months under home confinement, followed by nine months of supervised parole.
