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No matter how famous (or infamous) you are, you have to pay your fair share on tax day. Or else.
Throughout history, many famous people and celebrities have tried to evade the taxman, only to find that even the limelight wasn't enough to protect them.
Do you owe more than $10,000? See if you can pay off your debt (for less than the amount you owe)
If you neglect your responsibility to pay off what you owe the government, you're going to get into trouble, even if you've won an Academy Award, built a home decor or culinary empire, or worked as a notorious crime boss.
GOBankingRates profiles some of the most famous celebrities who have landed in court for tax evasion due to financial mismanagement.
Al Capone
Perhaps the most famous gangster of all time, Al Capone got away with some horrific crimes. The one crime he couldn't get away with? Tax evasion. A secret grand jury met on March 13, 1931 to indict Capone on tax evasion charges, and on June 5 of the same year, a federal grand jury indicted him on 22 counts of income tax evasion.
After a highly dramatic series of events, including complications surrounding a possible plea bargain and a contempt of court charge, Capone was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison.
Pete Rose
Considered one of the greatest players in baseball history, baseball superstar Pete Rose is celebrated as the all-time major league hit leader, but he also quickly became infamous for tax evasion.
Rose owed the IRS $500,000 for filing false tax returns from 1984 to 1988 and again in 1998. He had to negotiate a settlement to avoid prison time and having to trade in his baseball uniform for a prison striped one.
Nicolas Cage
Being a Nicolas Cage die-hard fan has been tough over the years, considering the actor has gone from Oscar gold to, um, raunchier roles. Cage became the direct-to-video king of slaving away over $14 million in back taxes, interest, penalties and liens to the IRS for unpaid property taxes.
Finding new business management has hopefully helped Cage get his finances back on track to some extent, allowing him to land a string of Oscar-worthy roles.
Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart is the queen of casseroles and perfect table settings, but even she couldn't escape the IRS. Her most infamous news story was her time in prison for insider trading (aside from a joke about how to perfectly iron an orange jumpsuit), but she was also saddled with an estimated $220,000 in unpaid taxes.
Wesley Snipes
Blade, aka Wesley Snipes, may be able to take down a vampire with a roundhouse kick, but he can't drive a stake into the heart of the IRS. In 2008, the acting star was convicted of three misdemeanor counts of failing to file tax returns from 1999 to 2001, and ultimately served three years in federal prison.
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