Breaking: Javier Mascherano Sentenced to 1 Year in Prison for Tax Fraud

Javier Mascherano: Barcelona Footballer Sentenced to 1 Year in Prison for Tax Fraud

Barcelona defender Javier Mascherano receives 12-month prison sentence for tax avoidance.

The former Liverpool player will not go to prison due to laws in Spain but he has been ordered to pay a hefty fine

Mascherano was given a 12-month prison sentence - but he won't serve any of it
Javier Mascherano has been handed a 12-month prison sentence for tax avoidance offences.

The Barcelona defender will not serve any time incarcerated due to Spanish law, Spanish media outlet Sport report.

People handed sentences of two years or less are not required to serve any time behind bars in Spain unless the sentence has come about as a result of a violent crime.

Mascherano was handed separate four-month and eight-month sentences for offences which took place in 2011 and 2012.

He had already repaid the full €1.6million (£1.15million) debt owed to the tax authorities before he was given his sentence

Spanish radio station Cadena SER claim Mascherano reached an agreement with the authorities to pay a fine of €816,000 (£588,000) on top of the fully repaid debt.

News agency EFE report Mascherano will be forced to serve the the sentence if he repeats the offence within the next year.

The Argentine played the full 90 minutes on Saturday as Barca drew 1-1 with Valencia.

Luis Suarez gave the champions the lead before Santi Mina hit back late on with Barca still top of La Liga.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/barcelona-defender-javier-mascherano-receives-6963047#ICID=sharebar_facebook

Even in here Barcelona are 1 step ahead of Madrid. Mascherano seeing prison before Benzema

Wtf

He's not going to prison.

What a stupid law...sentencing someone to prison even though you know they don't have to serve it.

Would he have to serve the prison time if he was average Jose, and didnt have ~€2 million available to pay?

Betty La Fea wrote:Would he have to serve the prison time if he was average Jose, and didnt have ~€2 million available to pay?

That's the problem with the judicial system, rich people never fully serve their sentences.

Betty La Fea wrote:Would he have to serve the prison time if he was average Jose, and didnt have ~€2 million available to pay?

yeah but then average joe wouldn't earn enough to owe millions of taxes in the first place

On one hand it makes sense that short prison sentences for non-violent crimes can be paid off. Prisoners = expenses, while this Spanish way the government actually makes a little bit of extra cash.

On the other hand there's the feeling that he gets off the hook even when found guilty.

Pedram wrote:

Betty La Fea wrote:Would he have to serve the prison time if he was average Jose, and didnt have ~€2 million available to pay?

That's the problem with the judicial system, rich people never fully serve their sentences.

Yeah...It seems that way.

Hapless_Hans wrote:

Betty La Fea wrote:Would he have to serve the prison time if he was average Jose, and didnt have ~€2 million available to pay?

yeah but then average joe wouldn't earn enough to owe millions of taxes in the first place

But the Average jose is paying his taxes, and with a much lower income. A 31 year old making 6 million a year can't pay into the system which allowed him such riches, but average Jose working in a spanish factory has to? It just looks poor.

Art Morte wrote:On one hand it makes sense that short prison sentences for non-violent crimes can be paid off. Prisoners = expenses, while this Spanish way the government actually makes a little bit of extra cash.

On the other hand there's the feeling that he gets off the hook even when found guilty.

He is pretty much off the hook when you consider a normal person getting such a charge would have not only their pockets mugged, but their livelihoods screwed by such a thing in the paper.

He will pay the fine, and be back at work tomorrow.

It seems that in Spain if you get convicted to less than 3 years in prison you almost never actually go to prison.

Why even use the term sentenced to prison then I mean, what?

It also really isn't much of a deterrent to commit tax evasion for rich people.

They're either going to pay the tax money upfront anyway, or they're just going to say 'who cares' because if they get caught evading taxes they'll just pay it and move on. Doesn't really make a difference to them.

Meanwhile if they actually went to jail for it it'd probably be a bit of a different matter to them.

http://www.guillembalague.com/blog/post.php?s=2016-01-21-an-open-letter-from-javier-mascherano

Curtinho wrote:It also really isn't much of a deterrent to commit tax evasion for rich people.

They're either going to pay the tax money upfront anyway, or they're just going to say 'who cares' because if they get caught evading taxes they'll just pay it and move on. Doesn't really make a difference to them.

Meanwhile if they actually went to jail for it it'd probably be a bit of a different matter to them.

I agree. I think making an example of someone would bring in a lot more than any fines in lieu of time.

Peccadillo wrote:

Curtinho wrote:It also really isn't much of a deterrent to commit tax evasion for rich people.

They're either going to pay the tax money upfront anyway, or they're just going to say 'who cares' because if they get caught evading taxes they'll just pay it and move on. Doesn't really make a difference to them.

Meanwhile if they actually went to jail for it it'd probably be a bit of a different matter to them.

I agree. I think making an example of someone would bring in a lot more than any fines in lieu of time.

I guess the state would rather get the money and not send them to jail than send them to jail and not collecting the money.

Nice. Him and Benzema can form a double pivot in prison.

futbol wrote:Nice. Him and Benzema can form a double pivot in prison.

Never, never, never gets old

Also, all Zidane really has to do is line up with 11 auditors in the next Clasico. Pretty sure only Suarez and Iniesta would show up. The former gives me the impression he can't read or write too well and Ini probably has church choir practice to pass his time.

futbol wrote:Nice. Him and Benzema can form a double pivot in prison.

No Junior, it's Messi that is up next (May), so that's your double. Benz has to go solo in France.