PENALTY

Cristiano Ronaldo Fined $21.6 Million for Tax Fraud, Avoids Jail Time

The soccer superstar will serve his 23-month sentence on probation.

Cristiano Ronaldo was fined $21.6 million for tax fraud in Spain on Tuesday, but will avoid serving the accompanying 23-month prison sentence. The international soccer superstar, who played for Real Madrid from 2009 to 2018 before becoming a forward for Juventus, agreed to settle the case by paying the fine and accepting a suspended jail sentence. The case reportedly stems from accusations first made in 2017 that Ronaldo deliberately hid income earned by his image rights between 2011 and 2014, a claim which he denied at the time. Under Spanish law, a first offender can serve anything less than a two-year sentence on probation, and Ronaldo will not have to go to prison. Ronaldo's court appearance reportedly lasted about 15 minutes, as he only needed to sign off on a previously settled agreement. Ronaldo had to enter the courtroom through the front door, hounded by a huge media presence, after his request for special security measures to avoid the spotlight was denied on Monday.

SPEAKING OUT

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