Jersey Shore’s Mike ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino pleads guilty to tax evasion

Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, a member of the cast of MTV’s reality series “Jersey Shore,” and his brother Marc Sorrentino, have pleaded guilty to federal tax charges.

Michael Sorrentino, 36, pleaded guilty to tax evasion, while Marc Sorrentino, 38, pled guilty to aiding in the preparation of a false and fraudulent tax return. They entered their pleas Friday in a federal court in Newark, N.J.

The younger brother, whose nickname was “The Situation” because he often used that phrase in conversation, was one of the stars of the reality TV series, which ran on MTV from 2009 to 2012. The two brothers created businesses, such as MPS Entertainment LLC and Situation Nation Inc., to take advantage of The Situation’s celebrity status.

Jersey Shore MTV promo

In his guilty plea, Michael Sorrentino admitted that in tax year 2011, some of his taxable income was paid in cash, but he concealed some of it to avoid paying his taxes in full. He made cash deposits into bank accounts in amounts less than $10,000, hoping it wouldn’t come to the attention of the IRS.

His brother Marc admitted that during tax years 2010, 2011 and 2012, he helped his accountants prepare his tax returns for those years, but he gave them false information, so his returns under-reported his total income and taxable income.

In 2015, the Sorrentinos' tax preparer, Gregg Mark, pleaded guilty to filing false tax returns on their behalf (see Tax preparer for Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino pleads guilty in tax fraud case).

Michael Sorrentino faces up to five years in prison, while his brother Marc faces up to three years. They each could be subject to a potential $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for April. The judge is allowing Michael Sorrentino to participate in an upcoming reunion of the "Jersey Shore" cast for MTV while he awaits sentencing.

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Tax fraud Tax-related court cases Tax evasion
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