Former Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho jailed for tax fraud
Former Chelsea defender, Ricardo Carvalho walks around the pitch at half time during the Premier League match between Chelsea and West Ham United at Stamford Bridge on August 15, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Former Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho has been sentenced to seven months in prison and fined €142,882 for tax fraud committed while playing for Real Madrid.
Carvalho, who played for Real between 2010 and 2013, was found guilty of hiding income from image rights in 2011 and 2012 where he avoided paying €545,981 in tax.
Under Spanish law, any sentence under two years for a non-violent crime rarely requires a defendant without previous convictions to serve jail time. It is unlikely that he will serve any time in prison.
Carvalho pleaded guilty to the charges and agreed to pay the amount owed which led to a reduction on the initial sentence of 12 months in prison accompanied by a €300,000 fine.
The Shanghai SIPG centre-back is the latest player to have broken Spanish tax law after Javier Mascherano, Leo Messi, Neymar and Angel Di Maria were all handed sentences for falling foul of Spanish tax offences.
