Lauryn Hill Begins Three Month Jail Term: Five Stars With Tax Problems

Lauryn Hill, the Grammy-winners singer whose only solo album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill remains a classic of its generation, has begun a three month prison term for failing to pay taxes of around $1 million between the years 2005 and 2007, reports the Independent.

The singer-songwriter will serve her time at a minimum security prison in Danbury, Connecticut where inmates live in dormitories and are expected to perform maintenance, landscape and serve food. Essentially, it's not really a prison.

The singer, who gained fame with The Fugees, always maintained that she was planning on paying the taxes but was unable when he dropped out of the music business. Before her sentencing, her lawyer said Lauryn had paid more than $970,000 of the owed cash.

Hill is yet to release the long-awaited follow-up to her multiplatinum 1998 album, which won five Grammy awards. She has withdrawn from the public limelight and presumably lives off the music and movie royalties from her hugely popular work. The delay appears to be linked to feuds with her record label and constant legal wrangling. Recently, Hill posted a new single called 'Neurotic Society' online, noting, "Here is a link to a piece that I was 'required' to release immediately, by virtue of the impending legal deadline."

Of course, Hill isn't the first big name to suffer the wrath of the IRS. Hollywood actor Wesley Snipes began serving a three year prison sentence in 2010 for a failure to file U.S. federal income tax returns. The government charged that the Blade Runner star had failed to file tax returns for the years 1999 through 2004. He was eventually released in 2013.

Watch the video for Lauryn Hill's Doo Wop (That Thing):

Remember Richard Hatch? He was the guy who won $1 million on reality show 'Survivor' though sort of forgot to pay his taxes. The TV star was charged with tax evasion and served a 51 month sentence in federal prison, serving an additional nine months for not amending his 2000 and 2001 tax returns.

Not tax related specifically, but American business magnate Martha Stewart was sentenced to five months in prison and five months of home confinement in 2004 for charges related to the ImClone insider trading affair, reported People.com

Nicolas Cage has steadily paying off his enormous tax bill that dates back to 2002. The actor reportedly owed around $13 million in federal income-based payments though managed to clear a huge chunk of that, owing to his high-paid jobs. According to TMZ.com, he sent a big fat cheque of $6,256,005 to the government in 2012.

Willie Nelson! The king of avoiding tax! But how can get mad at old Willie? The IRS hit the country crooner with a bill for $16.7 million in unpaid taxes in 1990, leaving the singer with no choice but to hand over many of his possessions to stay out of prison. Of course, he poked fun at the whole thing with his album The IRS Tapes: Who Will Buy My Memories? though managed to pay to tab in 1993.

Richard Hatch Won The TV Show 'Survivor'