Singer Lauryn Hill pleaded guilty on Friday (June 29, 2012) to not paying federal taxes on more than $1.5 million worth of earnings over three years.
The 8-time Grammy-winner appeared at the U.S. District Court in Newark, New Jersey, where she admitted failing to file tax returns from 2005 to 2007. She faces a maximum charge of one-year in prison for each of the three counts, but could escape with fines or community work. She was first charged three weeks ago. Best known for her time with the rap trio The Fugees and the widely acclaimed solo album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, released in 1998, she since remained largely away from the public eye to raise her six children, five of whom she had with Rohan Marley, the son of legendary reggae artist Bob Marley.
Her earnings over recent times have come from royalties and from four corporations she owned. Prior to Friday's trial, Hill posted a lengthy statement on her Tumblr page discrediting pop culture's "climate of hostility, false entitlement, manipulation, racial prejudice, sexism and ageism." She explained in the post that she hasn't paid taxes since she withdrew from society to guarantee the safety and well being of herself and her family.