Mike Sorrentino from Jersey Shore is currently in prison. The reality star turned himself in last week to much fanfare and an Instagram and YouTube video that documented his trip to the slammer.
Sorrentino is housed at FCI Otisville in upstate New York with a released date of September 2019 but what did he do to earn that prison sentence?
The Jersey Shore star was ultimately convicted of tax evasion after being accused of filing false tax returns from 2010-2012. He wasn’t the only one in hot water and his brother Marc Sorrentino also faced legal woes as a result of these charges.
The legal drama started for the Sorrentino brothers back in 2013, when it was learned that Mike was the target of a federal criminal investigation. The Jersey Shore star reportedly cooperated with authorities during the probe.
In September 2014, after a slew of other legal issues, Mike Sorrentino and his brother Marc were indicted on charges of filing false tax returns after being accused of failing to pay the correct amount of taxes on $8.9 million of his earnings.
Mike’s indictment was for two counts of filing false tax returns while his brother Marc received a three-count charge. Both of the Sorrentino brothers were also charged with one count of conspiracy each.
In December 2015, Mike and Marc’s former accountant Gregg Mark pled guilty for filing false tax returns for the Sorrentino brothers in 2010 and 2011. According to the accountant, the IRS was defrauded of an amount between $500,000 to $1.5 million.
It wasn’t until over two years later that both Mike and Marc were hit with more charges. In April 2017, Mike faced additional charges for tax evasion and Marc was hit with a count of falsifying records to obstruct an investigation.
In January 2018, it was time for Mike Sorrentino and his brother Marc to face the music. Both brothers ended up pleading guilty — Mike for tax evasion and for concealing his income by way of structuring (making small deposits intentionally to hide his assets) and Marc for aiding in the preparation of a false return.
Mike Sorrentino was ultimately sentenced to eight months in prison for his part in the tax fraud charges and began his sentence on January 15, 2019. Find out more about his release date here. His brother Marc was sentenced to two years behind bars and began his sentence just days after Mike.