The former Victoria's Secret model will serve nine months of community service in Israel, while her mother will spend 16 months behind bars for her role in the scandal.
- Jun 10, 2020
AceShowbiz - Model Bar Refaeli has agreed to serve nine months of community service in Israel as part of a plea deal over tax evasion charges.
The beauty and her mother, Tzipi Refaeli, had been under investigation in their homeland for several years amid allegations suggesting they had misled tax authorities about Bar's earnings and whereabouts from 2009 to 2012.
They claimed that for 2009 and 2010, she had been living in the U.S. with then-boyfriend Leonardo DiCaprio, and therefore did not have to pay Israeli income tax, although officials maintain she was actually based in Tel Aviv.
Last year (19), Bar's argument was rejected by a judge, who ordered her to pay back millions in tax dollars, and now the 34-year-old mother-of-three, who is married to businessman Adi Ezra, has reached an agreement with prosecutors to put the matter to rest.
As part of the deal, Bar will avoid prison time, although her mum will spend 16 months behind bars as punishment for her role in the scandal.
The deal, which was signed on Tuesday, June 09, also orders both women to pay almost $725,000 in fines, and $2.3 million in back taxes, according to the Times of Israel.
However, Bar's lawyers continue to insist she personally did no wrong.
"The plea deal makes it clear once and for all that Bar Refaeli did not intend to evade taxes," her legal representatives told the local Channel 13.
"There's no question about the fact that during the dates specified, Bar was in her early 20s, was working as an international model and did not deal with the financial parts of her job. Now Bar will be taking responsibility for the mistakes that were made and will pay the necessary price for them."
