Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino finally found a situation he could not get out of, pleading guilty to one count of tax evasion on Jan. 19, 2018.
In September 2014, Sorrentino and his older brother Marc were indicted for tax offenses and conspiring to defraud the United States. In April of 2017, the MTV reality star charges of tax evasion and structuring funds to evade currency transaction reports were added.
Along with his brother, Sorrentino admitted he concealed a portion of his taxable income on the $8.9 million that he earned between 2010 and 2012 in order to evade paying the full amount of taxes he owed. Additionally, he also made cash deposits into several different bank accounts in amounts less than $10,000 to avoid detection by the IRS. They admitted to creating businesses aimed at exploiting the MTV star’s celebrity status and did not pay the required income tax on money earned.
On Oct, 5, 2018, Sorrentino was sentenced to eight months in federal prison for tax evasion with two years of supervised release, 500 hours of community service, a $10,000 fine and $123,000 in restitution, which was previously paid. He was not taken into custody after his sentencing, agreeing to surrender at a later date with the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Sorrentino faced up to five years in prison, while his brother could have had a maximum of three years.
Following the sentencing, 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.”
The “Jersey Shore” star’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.”
For his role in the fraud, The Situation’s brother Marc pleaded guilty to one count of aiding in the preparation of a fraudulent tax return and was sentenced to 24 months in prison, fined $7,500 and yet-to-be-determined restitution amount. He will be under supervised release for one year following his sentence.
In January 2019, Sorrentino began his prison sentence, reporting to the Otisville Federal Correctional Institution in Otisville, New York.
Meanwhile, the Sorrentinos’ former tax preparer pleaded guilty to filing fraudulent tax returns for the brothers in 2015.
