Supermodel Bar Refaeli has been convicted of tax evasion in Israel after a five-year case. She has been sentenced to nine months of community service, while her mother has been sentenced to 16 months in prison. She has also been ordered to pay back the millions of dollars of taxes owed to the state alongside a $1.5 million fine.
Despite the case only being opened as soon as 2015, claims against Refaeli began when her international career launched in the early 2000s, and she began to travel the world for work and her five-year relationship with Leonardo DiCaprio. Because Israeli tax law bases residency on time spent in the country, by claiming she had spent the majority of the year abroad, Refaeli was able to avoid declaring millions of dollars of income some years. Her mother, acting as her agent, also drew up several leases that failed to declare her own income.
Refaeli’s image as an informal ambassador to Israel may have been damaged with the high-profile case, but she went to host The X Factor Israel for two seasons and the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest. The judge in her case apparently took into consideration not only Refaeli’s status, but also her children and lack of a criminal record. Since there is not yet word on whether the show will be renewed for a fourth season, it is unknown as to whether Refaeli will continue to be an X Factor host.
