Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino was sentenced to 8 months in prison on Oct. 5 for pleading guilty to one account of tax evasion.
The 36-year-old is also set to complete a grueling 500 hours of community service apart from his sentence. Sorrentino has also paid $123,913 in restitution, with a $10,000 fine to be paid within the next 30 days.
Sorrentino's Substance Abuse
However, his lawyer claims that he should receive probation after he pleaded guilty to the charge. According to the attorney, the star only has a minor role in the suspected crime and has worked so hard to get through his problems with substance abuse after his arrest. Sorrentino's sentence came just after he celebrated close to three years of sobriety.
"I've done everything in my power to better myself. I really feel that I'm in the best situation possible," he said, adding that he has worked so much to change his life and be the best version of himself.
"But I did have to challenge myself to go out and film a whole season of Jersey Shore and have fun without alcohol — to show the youth out there that it is possible," he said about his experience in the hit show. Recently, he appeared in Jersey Shore Family Vacation, a spin-off of the MTV show Jersey Shore.
Case Against Sorrentino
Sorrentino failed to pay income tax seven years ago even though he made $2 million in the same year. The reality star went to the New Jersey federal court with Lauren Pesce, his fiancée. Additionally, his family were also in the room with him during the proceedings, together with his co-stars, JWoww Farley, and Vinny Guadagnino. While he waited for the judge's ruling, he appeared optimistic.
Marc Sorrentino, the Jersey Shore star's brother, was also sentenced for two years in prison on Friday due to two accounts of tax fraud. The Sorrentino brothers were arrested and charged in 2014 with tax-related cases. According to reports, the two failed to pay $8.9 million in income from 2010 to 2012.
Last year, additional charges, including structuring and falsifying records and tax evasion, were added to the Sorrentino brothers' accusations.
