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        <title><![CDATA[Israeli top model Bar Refaeli convicted of tax evasion in Tel Aviv]]></title>
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        <link>https://usagag.com/2020/07/20/israeli-top-model-bar-refaeli-convicted-of-tax-evasion-in-tel-aviv/</link>
        <lastBuildDate>Mon, 20 Jul 2020 18:42:51 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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            <media:title type="html">Israeli top model Bar Refaeli convicted of tax evasion in Tel Aviv</media:title>
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        <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli was convicted by a Tel Aviv court Monday of tax evasion, fined 2.5 million shekels – about $730,000 – and ordered to serve nine months of community service.</p><p>The 35-year-old stunner wore a white face mask and white blouse as she arrived in court accompanied by her mother, Tzipi, who will serve a 16-month sentence and pay the same amount, and her father, Rafi.</p><p>Both women signed a plea deal last month as part of a years-long criminal probe into the model, who was accused of falsely claiming she lived with then-beau Leonardo DiCaprio in the US rather than Tel Aviv.</p><p>Refaeli, who received a suspended sentence in Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court, and her mom also will pay the equivalent of $2.3 million in back taxes owed to the state.</p><p>Refaeli — who gave birth to her third child in January — <strong>had argued that her on-again, off-again relationship with DiCaprio</strong> made them a family unit, justifying her claims that the US was her home at the time, rather than Israel.</p><p>But prosecutors said she and her mother used it as a cover to hide tens of millions of dollars in earnings from Israeli tax authorities between 2009 and 2012.</p><figure id="attachment_5325509"  class="wp-caption aligncenter"><strong><noscript><img data- data-src="/uploads/2020/07/Bar-Refaeli-02.jpg" class="lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" /><noscript><img  data-src="/uploads/2020/07/Bar-Refaeli-02.jpg" /></noscript></noscript><img class="lazyload" src='data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22%20viewBox=%220%200%20210%20140%22%3E%3C/svg%3E' data- data-src="/uploads/2020/07/Bar-Refaeli-02.jpg" /></strong><figcaption class="wp-caption-text"><span>Bar Refaeli (center), wearing a white top and a face mask arrives to court</span><span class="credit">AP</span></figcaption></figure><p>The two women confessed to offenses of evading paying taxes on income of almost $10 million.</p><p>Refaeli’s lawyers said the plea bargain proved she hadn’t intentionally evaded tax payments.</p><p>“In the relevant time period, Bar was in her early 20s, was working as an international model and was not involved in financial matters,” they said in a recent statement.</p><p>The lengthy case damaged Refaeli&#8217;s well-crafted public image as an informal ambassador for Israel, though she remains a popular TV personality. Last year, she hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv.</p><p>The crux of the high-profile case revolves around Refaeli’s residence earlier this decade when she criss-crossed the globe for modeling shoots and graced the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition while tied to DiCaprio.</p><p>Israeli tax law determines residency primarily upon whether a person spent most of the calendar year in the Jewish state.</p><p>Refaeli claimed she hadn’t and therefore did not have to declare her worldwide income in certain years – but prosecutors rejected her claim and charged her with providing incorrect tax information.</p><p>In previous appeals, an Israeli court ruled that her relationship with DiCaprio did not qualify as a “family unit,” and therefore she could not claim his US residence to avoid paying the full amount in taxes.</p><p>Tzipi &#8212; who also acted as her agent &#8212; was charged with failure to report income, avoiding paying taxes and aiding someone else in evading tax payments.</p><p><em>With Post Wires</em></p>]]></content:encoded>
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