Kobi Peretz begins 18-month prison term for tax evasion
A year and a half after being convicted of tax fraud by a Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court judge, celebrated Mizrahi singer Kobi Peretz reported for his 18-month prison sentence on Sunday.
Peretz, 41, initially was sentenced in May to two years for failing to declare NIS 5.8 million in earnings from 200509 and for making threats against his agent.
Prosecutors had sought a four-year sentence and requested that Peretz begin his sentence in June, but the judge presiding over the case shortened the sentence to 18 months after Peretz’s attorney filed an appeal.
The popular singer’s last-minute request for a pardon from President Reuven Rivlin was rejected two weeks ago. At the end of last week, his supporters gathered 50,000 signatures for a petition to Rivlin to reconsider the pardon to no avail.
During his sentencing, Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court Judge Limor Margolin-Yehidi excoriated Peretz for acting out of “pure greed” and refusing to accept responsibility for his actions, but also noted his charitable contributions.
Peretz was escorted by family and friends Sunday morning to Maasiyahu Prison, a minimum-security penitentiary located in Ramle. He also has been ordered to pay a NIS 175,000 fine, and will serve three years probation when he finishes his term in prison.
His attorney said he is appealing the conviction.