14 DAY TRIAL // Lauryn Hill failed to pay her taxes for the years 2005, 2006, and 2007 but she’s hoping to catch a break by convincing the judge that she had good reason for that: she kept receiving threats to herself and her family.
In court documents filed several hours ago and obtained by TMZ, the singer is trying to convince the judge to look at the bigger picture in her situation before he sentences her.
Fans must know that Hill has already pled guilty to failure to pay taxes and, on April 22, she will be sentenced. She stands to go away behind bars for several years.
However, in the papers, she tries to make the judge understand that she had reasons to go underground when she did.
“Lauryn just filed legal docs asking for mercy before her sentencing later this month, claiming there was a good reason she failed to file tax returns for 2005, '06 and '07... when she earned a total of more than $1.8 million [1.37 million],” TMZ writes.
“According to docs, Lauryn stopped paying taxes ‘when she withdrew from society at large due to what she perceived as manipulation and very real threats to herself and her family’,” the same media outlet notes.
The singer doesn’t go into the details of the threats that got her to retire from the public eye and, at the same time, avoid her responsibilities as a taxpayer, but TMZ notes that, whatever they were, they must also account for why she slipped off the radar musically.
However, in one of her recent interviews, Hill said she went on a hiatus professionally because she wanted to go back to her roots, so perhaps the truth is somewhere in the middle.
“Lauryn's asking the court to consider a bunch of other factors before her sentencing – including her claim that she can pay off the debt much faster if she's not behind bars,” the celebrity publication further writes.