NEW CITY, NY – MARCH 29: Attorney Russell Yankwitt (L) and client Stephen Baldwin (R) address the media after Baldwin after pleaded guilty to a charge of repeated failure to file income taxes at Rockland County Courthouse on March 29, 2013 in New City, New York.
What's the secret to lowering your taxes in the short-term? Becoming rich and important, and then lawyering up. Actor Stephen Baldwin, one of Alec's less-famous actor brothers, has avoided a jail sentence after admitting income tax evasion, BBC News reported. In Rockland County Court, Baldwin admitted failing to pay New York state income taxes for 2008, 2009 and 2010.
A plea bargain was reached that enables the star to get a brand new, clean record if he pays back $300,000 within a year.
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"I just look forward to getting the $300,000 paid in the next year," he told reporters outside court.
Baldwin, currently appearing on "All-Star Celebrity Apprentice," still kind of blamed the evasion on others, the Associated Press reported. "Unfortunately, I got some really bad suggestions and advice … from lawyers and accountants," he said.
Well, at least he doesn't have to go to jail. On a related note, last year the NYPD allegedly killed an unarmed man for stealing rocks.
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