Lauryn Hill told the judge who sentenced her to prison that she planned to pay her taxes; it was just a question of when.<\/p>\n
The judge reminded her that citizens don\u2019t get to choose when to pay the government just before ordering her to spend three months in a federal prison.<\/p>\n
The Grammy-winning singer must report to prison on July 8 to begin serving the sentence for failure to pay federal income taxes for three years, followed by three months of home confinement and a year of supervised probation, the judge said. Hill must also pay penalties and taxes still owed and a $60,000 fine.<\/p>\n
Hill pleaded guilty last year to three counts of failing to file tax returns on more than $1.8 million between 2005 and 2007.<\/p>\n
The artist appeared Monday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in federal court in Newark, New Jersey, for sentencing.<\/p>\n
Hill told the judge she lives \u201cvery modestly\u201d considering how much money her music \u2014 she has sold 16 million records \u2014 earned for other people.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone did the math, and it came to around $600 million,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I sit here before you trying to figure out how to pay a tax debt? If that\u2019s not like enough to slavery, I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis wasn\u2019t a life of jet-setting glamour,\u201d she said. \u201cThis was a life of sacrifice with very little time for myself and my children.\u201d<\/p>\n
The income in question was mostly from music and film royalties paid to companies she owned between 2005 and 2008, according to the U.S. attorney\u2019s office.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough Hill pleaded guilty to charges specifically related to those tax years, her sentence also takes into account additional income and tax losses for 2008 and 2009 \u2014 when she also failed to file federal returns \u2014 along with her outstanding tax liability to the state of New Jersey, for a total income of approximately $2.3 million and total tax loss of approximately $1,006,517,\u201d the prosecutor said.<\/p>\n
Hill\u2019s lawyer, Nathan Hochman, told CNN that Hill has fully paid her taxes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the judge gave a fair and reasonable sentence,\u201d Hochman said.<\/p>\n
Her lack of a prior criminal record and the fact that she has six minor children helped, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the government has let a number of celebrities off and never criminally prosecuted them, Willie Nelson being at least one example,\u201d he said. \u201cI think that the court took that into account as well. Ms. Hill did not get a slap on the wrist and let off with just paying a certain amount of money but has had to go through this entire criminal prosecution.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hill also used her sentencing to talk about her music.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t make music for celebrity status,\u201d she told the court. \u201cI made music for artistic and existential catharsis, which was not just necessary for myself but it was also necessary for the generations of oppressed people who hadn\u2019t had their voices expressed like I was able to do it. Music is not something I do from 9 to 5. It\u2019s a state of being, and like a doctor who delivers babies, I\u2019m on call all the time because that\u2019s the kind of work this is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hill revealed in a message posted to her Tumblr account last month that she\u2019s been working on new music.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has been reported that I signed a new record deal, and that I did this to pay taxes. Yes, I have recently entered into an agreement with Sony Worldwide Entertainment, to launch a new label, on which my new music will be released,\u201d Hill wrote. \u201cAnd yes, I am working on new music.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her fans have been waiting for new music from her since her 1998 solo album, \u201cThe Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.\u201d<\/p>\n
SOURCE: Edition.cnn.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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