Neymar Reportedly Found Guilty of Tax Fraud in Rio de Janeiro; Remains Under Investigation by Spanish Court Officials
Barcelona star Neymar has been reportedly found guilty of tax fraud stemming from his failure to report earnings on a number of his lucrative contracts.
A federal court judge in Rio de Janeiro found the soccer star neglected to report earnings on his deals with Santos, Barcelona and Nike. He was ordered to pay 188.8 million Brazilian reals ($52.1m) in fines and back taxes.
Court documents reveal the star player used his Neymar Sport e Marketing, N&N Consultoria and N&N Administracao de bens to avoid paying taxes for three straight years beginning in 2012.
Neymar Accused of Creating False Contracts
The judges hearing the case further charged that Neymar created false contracts to get around paying the full amounts he owed. Just last year, the court moved to temporarily freeze his assets aimed allegations of tax evasion.
Neymar is also under investigation in Spanish court over discrepancies related to transfer from Santos to Barcelona in 2013. He has also previously been fined for unpaid taxes in Brazil, a decision that is now pending appeal.
The star striker recently netted a new five-year pact with Barca that will keep him at Camp Nou until 2021. Some media outlets have reported that the deal was actually signed in December, but the team held back details due to his ongoing legal issues.
Real Madrid had Eyes for Rising Star
With teams like Real Madrid already rumored to be lining up to go after the star 24-year-old, the team moved to resign him now even though his current deal doesn't run out until 2018. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, though word is Neymar now ranks behind Lionel Messi as the game's second highest paid player.
Neymar could appeal the guilty verdict, though publicly neither he nor his attorneys have revealed a planned course of action.
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