Ja Rule Faces 28 Months in Jail for Tax Evasion

Ja Rule may have been “Always on Time” when he was singing duets with Ashanti, but when it comes to paying his taxes, he’s not so reliable.

The Grammy-nominated rapper has been sentenced to 28 months in federal prison for not filing tax returns from 2004 to 2008. He owes the government more than $1.1 million.

Despite earning a steady income between 2004 to 2008 from royalties and performances, including $3 million that he brought in between 2004 and 2006, Ja Rule never filed tax returns in the five-year period. He has promised to file the returns and pay all of the money he owes, along with the penalty and interest charges.

“I was a young man who made a lot of money,” Ja Rule told the New York judge who sentenced him. “I didn’t know how to deal with these finances, and I didn’t have people to guide me, so I made mistakes.”  If only he’d been reading LearnVest!

Ja Rule isn’t the only celebrity busted for tax evasion. Check out our slideshow here.