Mike ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino indicted on tax-fraud charges

Mike “The Situation’ Sorrentino and his brother have been accused of failing to pay federal taxes on nearly $9 million in income, the latest in a string of legal headaches this year for the “Jersey Shore” alum.

Mike Sorrentino and Marc Sorrentino were charged with conspiracy to defraud the federal government and filing false tax returns between 2010 and 2013, the U.S. attorney’s office in Newark, N.J., announced Wednesday.

The Situation -- who was already ordered to take anger management classes after getting into a brawl with his brother Frank Sorrentino earlier this summer -- and his brother Marc allegedly bilked the IRS by failing to report large cash payments that the two received for promotional appearances, according to court filings.

“The charges are fiction. Marc has spent the better part of a year explaining that to the government. What’s worse is that the government is relying on the word of a disgraced accountant who is a proven liar,” Sorrentino attorney Christopher Adams said.

Mike Sorrentino’s appearance fee for nightclub openings and other events ranges from $1,500 to $48,000, according to court documents, but the two failed to report the income, according to the indictment.

The brothers also reportedly moved money between two limited liability corporations, Situation Nation and MPS Entertainment, instead of reporting it as income, according to court filings.

“According to the indictment, Michael and Marc Sorrentino filed false tax returns that incorrectly reported millions made from promotions and appearances,” U.S. Atty. Paul J. Fishman said in a statement. “The brothers allegedly also claimed costly clothes and cars as business expenses and funneled company money into personal accounts. The law is absolutely clear: Telling the truth to the IRS is not optional.”

In one instance, the brothers reported nearly $1.2 million in “business expenses” for MPS entertainment, when in truth, much of that money was used to purchase luxury cars or designer clothes, court filings show.

The brothers appeared in a Newark court Wednesday afternoon and will be arraigned on Oct. 6, prosecutors said.

The indictment is the latest in a yearlong string of legal headaches for the one-time master of “gym, tan, laundry.”

Rumors began to circulate late last year that the Situation might be the target of a federal probe, and after the brawl, his former attorney sued him for unpaid legal fees, according to New Jersey’s Star-Ledger.

Mike Sorrentino isn’t the only Garden State reality star to draw the ire of federal prosecutors this year. Teresa and Joe Giudice of “Real Housewives of New Jersey” fame pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bankruptcy fraud and several other charges in March.

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