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‘Jersey Shore’ star hit with tax counts

NEWARK, N.J.

A former star of the MTV reality show “Jersey Shore” and his brother filed bogus tax returns on nearly $9 million and claimed millions in business expenses — including luxury vehicles and clothing — that actually were for personal use, according to an indictment released Wednesday.

Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino and his brother Marc pleaded not guilty through their attorneys during a brief initial appearance in U.S. District Court. Neither made any statements during or after the proceeding, though when Mike Sorrentino was asked outside the courthouse if he was innocent he smiled and replied, “Of course.”

Each brother was released on $250,000 bail and scheduled for arraignment Oct. 6.

According to the seven-count indictment, the Sorrentinos earned about $8.9 million between 2010 and 2012, mostly through two companies they controlled, MPS Entertainment and Situation Nation. They purportedly filed false documents that understated the income from the businesses as well as their personal income. Mike Sorrentino also is charged with failing to file taxes for 2011, a year in which he earned nearly $2 million.

The brothers also purportedly spent millions of dollars on personal expenses they claimed were for business In 2012, for example, the brothers filed documents with an unidentified accounting firm in Staten Island that claimed $3.9 million in business expenses, according to the indictment released by U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman.

Associated Press