Rapper 'Fat Joe' Sentenced To Prison For Tax Evasion

Rapper "Fat Joe" Cartagena will be leaning back on prison walls after being sentenced to four months in federal prison on Monday for failure to file tax returns on more than $3.3 million in income.

The 42-year-old was also ordered to pay a $15,000 fine as part of his sentence, reports Reuters. This comes after Cartegena pleaded guilty in December to two counts of failing to file with the IRS.

He has already paid $718,000 in back taxes leading up to his sentencing as well as completed community service work with charities. U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy Waldor credited him for these actions.

Cartagena was initially charged with failing to file returns for 2007 through 2010. A plea agreement allowed his charges to be lowered to not filing for just two years.

During the sentencing he offered an apology to his family and friends, telling that he had let them down and accepted the consequences of his actions.

"There was a lot going on in the years that I didn't file my taxes, but it was my responsibility," he said.

"Fat Joe" joins several other well-known music artists that have faced tax troubles recently. These include singer Lauryn Hill and rapper Ja Rule, who was released a few months early from his prison sentence for both tax evasion and criminal possession of a weapon.