DMX has been sentenced to a year in prison for federal tax evasion, according to TMZ. The multi-platinum-selling former superstar had been battling charges for almost a year before pleading guilty in December. He was released on bail, avoiding a lengthy jail stay, but was arrested for violating the conditions of his bail in January of this year.
According to prior reports, DMX owed $1.7 million in unpaid taxes over the course of five years. While he initially faced a heavy sentence, he took a plea deal in which he was ordered to house arrest and take a “sober coach” with him if he traveled for work. Unfortunately, he violated the terms of that agreement when he was discovered at an airport bar in St. Louis, buying drinks for his fellow passengers. Judge Jed Rakoff declared DMX a flight risk and give him back over to the custody of the Department Of Corrections.
In TMZ’s report, it’s noted that DMX acknowledged his wrongdoing and his substance abuse problem, saying “he was too old to be doing the things he’s doing.” After he completes his stint in prison, he will have three more years of supervised probation. Hopefully, he will be able to use the opportunity to finally get clean. He’s not a rap star anymore and may never be again, but at the very least, he deserves a life free of addiction and the grief it brings.
