Mike ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino let his brother handle all his finances.
The former ‘Jersey Shore’ star – who recently pleaded not guilty on two counts of filing false returns and one count of conspiracy – reportedly allowed Marc Sorrentino to take control of all his business dealings, such as negotiating deals, collecting cash and filing paperwork including tax documentations.
According to website TMZ, the 32-year-old TV personalty fully trusted his brother and didn’t pay much attention to where his money was going.
A source told the gossip site that Mike never discussed financial matters with his accountants and hasn’t even seen anyone from the accounting firm since the day he became a client.
However, the reality star is said to be in a dilemma as while he doesn’t want to be convicted for a wrongdoing he doesn’t feel he has committed, he doesn’t want to make his brother – who has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit tax fraud – a scapegoat.
The siblings pleaded not guilty in court last week and were released on a $250,000 bond and will be arraigned on October 6.
It has been reported Mike and his brother allegedly conspired to fail to pay federal income tax owed on income that the former MTV star had earned for "promotional activities" between 2010 and 2012, during which time he earned $8.9 million, and said they claimed more than $5,104,000 in "false" or "inflated" business expenses, including luxury cars, high-end clothes and "personal grooming expenses."
Mike has also been accused of failing to file a tax return in 2011 after earning $1.99 million that year.
The Situation knew nothing about tax woes
