LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Soul legend Ronald Isley, who sang such hits as "Twist and Shout" and "This Old Heart of Mine" as a member of the Isley Brothers, was sentenced on Friday to three years in federal prison for tax evasion.

Isley, 65, was also ordered to pay about $3.1 million to the Internal Revenue Service, having engaged in "pervasive, long-term, pathological" evasion of federal taxes, according to U.S. District Court Judge Dean Pregerson.

The sentences were handed down after Isley was convicted last October of five counts of tax evasion and one count of willful failure to file a tax return. During the three-week trial, prosecutors said Isley failed to make any voluntary payments to the IRS between 1976 and 1996.

They also said he spent millions of dollars of unreported cash payments for performances on a yacht and two homes, and cashed royalty checks belonging to his late brother, O'Kelly, who died of a heart attack in 1986.

Isley's lawyer said on Friday his client had been selling his assets to pay down his IRS debt. He had sought probation for Isley, citing his client's medical condition, which includes the effects of a stroke and a recent bout with kidney cancer.

But Pregerson declined to sentence Isley to less time than called for under federal sentencing guidelines, agreeing with a description of Isley as a "serial tax avoider."

The Isley Brothers -- Rudolph, Ronald and O'Kelly -- started singing together as teens in the 1950s in their native Cincinnati. Their early hits included "Shout," which has become a frequently-covered rock tune, "Twist and Shout," which was notably covered by the Beatles, and the Motown tune "This Old Heart of Mine."

They won a Grammy in 1970 for "It's Your Thing," the biggest hit of their career. The success continued through the 1970s even as the lineup expanded with additional family members and other performers. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.

In recent years, Isley has recorded with the likes of pop songwriter Burt Bacharach and R&B star R. Kelly. He and younger brother Ernie topped the U.S. album charts in 2003 with "Body Kiss."

Their most recent album, "Baby Makin' Music," came out in May, coinciding with the announcement that Ronald Isley and new wife Kandy were expecting a baby in January 2007.

damn shame, Mr. Biggs going to jail.

Yes its really sad about Mr. Biggs, I read an article last year about his income tax evasion. Now 2 think he will spend time in jail with cancer which I didn't know about and a new baby, is really sad. I saw him last year when he opened up 4 Alecia Keys at the Hollywood Bowl. It's a known fact that u can't mess with IRS, they don't play. Sad, Sad, Sad

pennylover said:

WHAT?!? HE HAS CANCER!!! WHEN DID HE ANNOUNCE THIS?

missfee said:

Thats what the above article says:
Isley's lawyer said on Friday his client had been selling his assets to pay down his IRS debt. He had sought probation for Isley, citing his client's medical condition, which includes the effects of a stroke and a recent bout with kidney cancer.

pennylover said:

Hell yeah. They're going to get theirs, one way or another. Doesn't matter if you're in the grave, either. I'd rather have the Mafia on my ass than the IRS.

It's sad Mr. Biggs has ill health, but I'm not sad he's going to jail. Hey, don't do the crime if you can't do the time.

uPtoWnNY said:

That is right! That is why as a self-employed I keep all my invoices that I earn and report every single one of them. Irs might not get ya now but they find ways to get you eventually even if you are six feet under.

ladygirl99 said:

Exactly. Just ask the family of Sammy Davis Jr.

I don't get some of these famous folks(actors, musicians, athletes, etc). Just pay your g-damn taxes!! They always think they're going to get away with sh!t.

uPtoWnNY said:

so true, when Joe Lewis was asked what was the biggest fight he ever had he said it was with IRS

pennylover said:

You're doggone right they don't play! Look what they did to Redd Foxx. They cleaned him out. I mean they took EVERYTHING. Then demanded the cash he was carrying in his wallet. Look at Mike Tyson. He owes taxes in Great Britain as well as the USA. He's been reduced to being a sideshow at some Las Vegas casino. I read somewhere that when they first brought charges up on Ron Isley. He actually came up with the money a few days later, But they still brought the charges up against him. Jermaine Dupri also had a run in with them. A few days after he was featured on MTV Cribs The IRS took away (Or they were going to) some of those cars that were shown (What a coincidence). Hey they go after the rich folks first.

ThePunisher said:

Yep, IRS will get u when no one else will. They will take the clothes off your back. If u owe them and have a return coming back they will get that before u have a chance 2 see it. Look at the fathers that don't pay child support. They will get theres if u file taxes. It can be years from now they will get theres.

IRS is the mafia. Too bad.
[Edited 9/2/06 18:02pm]

what a dumb ass reason to go to jail
[Edited 9/2/06 18:16pm]

That is fucked up....the man is a legend but I guess not very bright if he thought he would get away with it.

This is seriously fucked up - WHY the fuck didn't he just pay these shits??? Dammit, this pisses me off

haha, i wonder if he'll do some more lame ass videos in jail...soon enough Kels will be in there too and they can do Trapped in the Cell chapter 1

damn, damn, damn. the brotha fucked up.

What makes it so bad he was reported using his deceased brothers social security number

What's the difference with Isley & Willie Nelson? He didn't go to jail.

Someone should be explaining these things to us musicians. We're not the most responsible bunch. We need help!



"Oh, they're saying he purposely avoided paying taxes" edit
[Edited 9/2/06 23:19pm]

No one has tossed this up but did he have a business manager or something? Someone who was suppose to take care of paying taxes and such?

But anyhoo my thing is why put the man in jail? it doesnt profit anyone. Hes not some violent criminal, who usually walk free, just a dummy at the most.

But I guess the IRS can do what it wants with my tax money.

lazycrockett said:

Prisons are overcrowded. Pretty unnecessary to put a guy like him there.

NDRU said:

Its like putting that Survivor guy in jail?? whats the reasoning? just to scare everyone else in society?

lazycrockett said:

Well if it makes you feel any better he won't be going to your local state penitentiary, he'll be at a federal prison. Not quite as bad, but still not where you want to spend you're golden years.

Here's a tip, if you're gonna commit a crime, don't commit a federal one. Federal Judges aren't all that likely to depart from the federal sentencing guidelines when it comes to sentencing you if you're convicted. Being old, rich and famous won't help you out. Moreover, you probably won't be getting out early for good behavior.

Whoa! He's too old for that. Hope he doesn't have another stroke in jail.

VinnyM27 said:

No taxes paid on money earned from 1976 to 1996. I'd say he got a away with it. $3.1M is a drop in the bucket compared to what he has made in a 20 year period. Still, I hate to see people in their 60s+ go to jail for anything other than murder or rape. It seems kinda stupid. (Except for fools like those Enron f*cks)
[Edited 9/3/06 9:30am]

lazycrockett said:

If he did, he should have been asking questions and watching his loot more closely. Don't trust anyone to look after your money - YOU do it. You earned it.

How come average folks like us know this sh!t, but folks in entertainment & sports don't? PAY WHAT YOU OWE! Once the IRS gets wind of your shady dealings, it's all over.

uPtoWnNY said:

Yup. It doesn't matter how many business managers you have, at the end of the day you are responsible for paying your taxes. If that wasn't the case then every person with loot would just hire someone else to take responsibility for their tax fraud and never worry about getting busted.

BlaqueKnight said:

OMG, I didn't know the time period was THAT LONG

DAMN!

ElCapitan said:

Ronald Isley and refusing to pay taxes to the IRS has been a long-standing issue. I remember in the height of The Isley Brothers' popularity in the late 1970s that the act owed the government in back taxes, and had a huge mansion being built for their mother seized.