American singer-songwriter Lauryn Hill is to spend three months in prison for failing to pay around $1 million in taxes.
The former Fugees singer and mother-of-six, is said to have plead guilty to three counts of failure to file tax returns for 2005, 2006 and 2007. It is thought that the singer earned an estimated $1.8 million during that time.
Sentenced yesterday (May 6th), Hill will not only have to serve three months in prison, but must also pay a $60,000 (£39,000) fine. Once released, she will then have to spend a further three months in home confinement and under parole supervision for a year.
The successful songstress, best known for her hits with The Fugees which include ‘Killing Me Softly with His Song’ and ‘Ready or Not’, took a step back from the music industry during the very years she was accused of dodging tax. Hill’s rejection of the limelight was a result of what she described as ‘a climate of hostility, false entitlement, manipulation, racial prejudice, sexism and ageism’ – Hill’s take on the modern music industry.
Despite her soon-to-be incarceration and seeming lack of love for the music industry, Hill is still set to release her new album – Neurotic Society. Speaking about the upcoming release, Hill said the following:
‘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.’
Lauryn Hill will report to an unnamed prison, on the 8th of July.
