Joseph Cartagena also known as “Fat Joe” was sentenced in New Jersey federal court to four months in prison for tax evasion earlier today. The 42-year-old rapper with hits such as “Lean Back” and “What’s Luv” admitted to not filing federal income taxes. He pleaded guilty in December 2012 to failing to pay taxes on more than $1 million of income in 2007 and in 2008 for performance and music royalties. Cartagena was fined an additional $15,000 for failure to file tax returns on more than $3.3 million in income.
The South Bronx native publicly apologized to his friends and family saying he let them down. “There was a lot going on in the years that I didn’t file my taxes, but it was my responsibility,” he said.
Though Cartagena lives in Miami Beach he owned the Somerville, New Jersey based Terror Squad Production Inc. and Miramar Music Touring Inc., according to court papers. He also earned income from FJTS Corp., during the time he didn’t file taxes.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy Waldor did take into consideration Cartagena paying $718,000 in back taxes prior to his sentencing and for his charitable work.
The Terror Squad leader told MTV promised that he will give the real story, once all of his troubles are behind him. “I’ll explain the story after that so you’ll get a real understanding of what happened to me,” he said. “It’s no excuses.”
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