Don't mess with the taxman. He'll make you want to shout. Motown legend Ronald Isley was ... Isley to Twist in Prison for Tax E
Motown legend Ronald Isley was sentenced to 37 months in prison Friday following his conviction in October on five counts of federal income tax evasion and one count of willfully not filing a tax return.
U.S. District Judge Dean P. Pregerson, who also tacked on three years of supervised release to Isley's punishment, actually went easy on the singer, who was facing 26 years in the big house.
Isley's scheme to leave $3.1 million in taxes unpaid between 1997 and 2002 was "pervasive, long-term, pathological," Judge Pregerson said during sentencing, calling the "Twist and Shout" purveyor a "serial tax avoider."
During the investigation, IRS agents found that Isley, who pleaded not guilty on all counts last year, was cultivating a pretty posh lifestyle with money that was supposed to be going to the government. Among his assets at the time he was indicted were a yacht called the Entrepreneur; a $1.8 million home in St. Louis; a $1 million 100-acre country estate in Warrenton, Missouri; a $114,000 Mercedes Benz; a $390,000 Bentley; and cash deposits totaling approximately $500,000.
All of which were not listed under Isley's name, but rather under the names of his daughter's corporation, his girlfriend and his then-wife. The 65-year-old singer had also opened numerous bank accounts to stash royalty checks and other earnings, according to the IRS Criminal Investigation field office in Los Angeles.
Isley then tried to deduct a $280,000 payment on a second Bentley; $5,000 per month in rent for a Los Angeles apartment and $60,000 in furnishing costs; and a $400,000 payment to an interior decorator as business expenses on his 2002 tax return.
"It is often alleged that celebrities unfairly receive preferential treatment in our legal system. Unfortunately for Mr. Isley, as his case demonstrates, that is just not so. The public can be confident with the knowledge that any individuals who attempt to cheat on their taxes will be held accountable for their actions and fair share of taxes owed."
This was not the IRS' first beef with Isley. In 1996 the agency seized his yacht, cars and other personal items in response to the R&B star owing more than $1.5 million in unpaid taxes, interest and penalties, dating back to 1974.
Despite his legal troubles, Isley has been leading what many would call a full life. After being indicted in October of 2004, the "It's Your Thing" singer married backup singer Kandy Johnson, released the Isley Brothers album Baby Makin' Music in May, and now he and his wife are actually expecting a baby in January.
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