The Rapper Fat Joe, whose real name is Joseph Cartagena, has voluntarily reported to federal prison in Florida to serve a four-month sentence for tax evasion.
Fat Joe, who was charged with tax law violations in New Jersey, pleaded guilty in December 2012 to failing to pay taxes on more than $1 million of income in 2007 and 2008. The platinum-selling artist faced charges in New Jersey because many of the companies he earned income from are incorporated in the state. Initially facing up to two years in prison for his crimes, he received a four-month sentence and will also face an additional year of supervised release after completing his prison sentence. Cartagena will also be required to pay a $15,000 fine for his crimes.
In a recent interview with Fuse magazine, Fat Joe took responsibility for his mistakes but noted that it was not entirely his fault.
“I did everything I possibly can to correct the situation,” Cartagena said, according to the Los Angeles Times. “I paid them back. It wasn’t entirely my fault. I had a new accountant for like the last four years. And then you could see that my accountant that worked for me for the 15 years prior to that always paid my stuff on time, always had it on time.”
Fat Joe is not the first artist to face prison time after being charged with tax evasion. Grammy-winning singer Lauryn Hill is currently serving a three-month prison sentence in Connecticut for failing to pay more than $1.8 million in earnings between 2005 and 2007. Hill’s sentencing also took into account unpaid state and federal taxes in 2008 and 2009, bringing the total amount of owed taxes to $2.3 million. Similar to Fat Joe, Hill will also face tighter supervision for a year after she is released from prison.
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