Supermodel Bar Refaeli has been sentenced to nine months of community service, slapped with a huge fine and ordered to repay millions in taxes following a dramatic tax dodging case.
The 35-year-old beauty – who has modelled for huge brands including Victoria’s Secret and Chanel – was sentenced in an Israeli court.
The model’s mother, Zipi, was jailed for 16 months after the pair were busted by authorities for evading paying taxes on income totalling $10 million (£7.77 million).
The duo met their fate on Sunday – with Bar entering a Tel Aviv courthouse flanked by her parents, including her father Raffi, and lawyers.
Bar and her mother had already been convicted in July on offences of failing to pay taxes.
Returning for sentencing, a plea bargain was accepted by the court showing the pair would pay a $720,000 (£559,790) fine, as well as $2.3 million (£1.8 million) in unpaid taxes.
Zipi is expected to start her 16 month prison sentence next week.
The case dates back to 2015 when authorities became suspicious of Bar’s tax records when she snapped up a property in Tel Aviv for New Israel Shekel (NIS) 15 million (£3.4 million), and a second apartment for NIS 2.5 million (£570,000).
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While questions were raised by police relating to tax due on two vehicles and suspicions Bar had been renting a luxury Tel Aviv apartment through relatives.
Both Bar and her mother were questioned by police in December 2015 – but it wasn’t until 2019 that authorities indicted the star.
And her mother was charged with failure to report income, avoiding paying taxes and aiding someone else in evading tax payments, while acting as her agent.
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The model argues she had not primarily lived in Israel and was thus exempt from declaring her income to the tax man.
But prosecutors rejected her claim and charged her with supplying false tax information.
Her indictment claimed she earned $7.2 million (£5.6 million) between 2009-2012 while she claimed to be living abroad.
She married businessman Adi Ezra in September 2015 and together they have two daughters and one son.
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