S. Samuel
Incarcerated rapper Ja Rule received some bad news Monday (July 18) as a judge sentenced him to over two years in jail for tax evasion charges.
Details of the ruling became public Monday afternoon.
Rapper Jeffrey Atkins, also known as Ja Rule, was sentenced Monday to 28 months in prison for failing to file tax returns with the IRS after admitting that he did not file his taxes for five years, the Justice Department said in a news release Monday. The 35-year-old performer from Saddle River, New Jersey, had pleaded guilty to three of five counts before U.S. Magistrate Judge Patty Shwartz, who imposed the sentence in Newark federal court. (CNN)
Prior to receiving his sentence, Rule defended his past financial mistakes.
“I in no way attempted to deceive the government or do anything illegal,” he said, minutes before being sentenced in a New Jersey federal court. “I was a young man who made a lot of money — I’m getting a little choked up — I didn’t know how to deal with these finances, and I didn’t have people to guide me, so I made mistakes.” (Associated Press)
In April, Rule made headlines for failing to file federal taxes over the course of five years.
Rapper Ja Rule could go to prison for three years but likely will be fined after admitting in federal court in Newark today that he ducked $1.1 million in federal income taxes on nearly $4.4 million in royalties and live performance payments over five years. U.S. Magistrate Judge Patty Shwartz allowed 35-year-old Jeffrey Atkins, who lives in the tony Bergen community of Saddle River, to remain free on $500,000 bail pending a scheduled June 13 sentencing. (Cliffview Pilot)
Rule’s wife, Aisha, recently talked about their finances and spoke on her husband’s ability to support them while serving a two year jail sentence.
Ja’s wife Aisha tells TMZ, “He did leave us well off. All of the rumors about Ja being broke are far from true.” Aisha adds, “Ja made sure … that me and my kids wouldn’t need anything as far as income goes. Heplanned well before he went in.” “We won’t be bad … even for a little bit — that was Ja’s first priority as a man who makes sure familycomes first.” (TMZ)
Last month, Ja Rule began a two year jail sentence on a gun conviction.
Check out some recent Ja Rule footage down below:
