Spain: Ronaldo dodges jail in exchange of hefty fine

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - Cristiano Ronaldo has struck a deal with Spanish tax authorities, who have accepted his offer to pay a €19-million ($22-million) fine and receive a two-year suspended jail term, Spanish news agency EFE reported Thursday.

Ronaldo, the former Real Madrid player, was accused of tax evasions worth more than €14.7 million ($17.1 million) from 2011 to 2014.

Prosecutors allege that he used offshore companies in Ireland and the British Virgin Islands to hide nearly €150 million ($175 million) in income he earned through selling the rights to his image, according to an official court statement.

Despite claiming his innocence, earlier this month, Ronaldo and his legal team offered to settle the case by paying back the money he was accused of defrauding, plus interest, and serving a two-year suspended jail term. He will not serve any of that time behind the bars.

The Spanish laws allows first-time non-violent offenders, sentenced to two years or less, to walk away free.

According to Forbes, Ronaldo, 33, is the third-highest paid athlete in the world.

Ronaldo, who now plays with Juventus in Milan, joins a long list of footballers in Spain to be accused of tax evasion. In 2016, Barcelona star Lionel Messi was found guilty of evading more than $4.8 million.

Jose Mourinho, the former coach of Real Madrid, Javier Mascherano, who played for Barcelona, and Angel di Maria, who played for Real Madrid, were all also accused of defrauding the Spanish government of millions and ended up paying hefty fines.