Justice Has Indicted Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino for Tax Evasion

The press release from the Justice Department was written in all caps: MICHAEL "THE SITUATION" AND MARC SORRENTINO INDICTED FOR TAX CRIMES INVOLVING $8.9 MILLION INCOME.

Indeed, the former Jersey Shore abdomen-flasher, along with his brother and manager Marc, have been indicted for tax evasion, and are under arrest. The two are expected to appear in federal court Wednesday afternoon, and will be arraigned in a federal court on Oct. 6. It is not clear if the defendants wore Ed Hardy shirts.

In a statement, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman claimed that the Sorrentino brothers did not pay taxes on $8.9 million in income that "The Situation" received for promotions and appearances. Sorrentino's booking fee for appearances at nightclubs, bars and liquor stores ranged from $1,500 to $48,000. DOJ also says the Sorrentinos "claimed costly clothes and cars as business expenses and funneled company money into personal accounts."

Justice had a little fun with wordplay about Sorrentino's reality TV fame.

"Most individuals file truthful tax returns and pay their fair share of taxes. However, as alleged in today's indictment, rather than living in reality and reporting their true income, Michael Sorrentino and his brother Marc created the illusion that they earned less income by filing false and fraudulent tax returns," Jonathan D. Larsen, a special agent with the DOJ's investigation, said in a statement. "No matter what your occupation or status in life, if you attempt to cheat on your taxes for personal financial gain, you face real consequences including criminal prosecution and a possible prison sentence."

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