Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli, mother admit to tax evasion

THE RICH ARE GREEDY IT'S THEIR NATURE

Israeli model Bar Refaeli arrives Monday at court in Tel Aviv, Israel, to sign a plea bargain agreement to settle a long-standing tax evasion case against her and her mother. Photo by Oded Balilty/UPI/Pool | License Photo


July 20 (UPI) -- Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli and mother Tzipi Refaeli formally admitted to tax evasion charges in Tel Aviv Monday as part of a plea agreement that will allow the entertainment star to avoid prison.

As part of the deal, the model will perform nine months of community service, pay a $720,000 fine and $2.3 million in back taxes.


Tzipi Refaeli, her mother, will serve 16 months in jail and also must pay a fine and back taxes.

The court determined that the pair evaded taxes on as much as $10 million in income.

The case included Bar Refaeli's work between 2009 and 2012, when she was required to pay taxes in Israel and overseas.

Refaeli argued that she was in a relationship with American actor Leonardo DiCaprio in the United States during that time, and had been under U.S. tax jurisdiction.

Israeli tax officials said she'd actually lived in Tel Aviv during that time, under the names of different family members.

Bar Refaeli, who has been married to businessman Adi Ezra since 2015, gave birth to their third child in January.