Rapper Ja Rule left an upstate New York prison Thursday morning after serving most of his two-year sentence for illegal gun possession and headed straight into federal custody in a tax case.
The rapper, who had been in protective custody because of his celebrity, has some time remaining on a 28-month sentence for tax evasion that ran concurrently. Ja Rule may have less than six months left and may be eligible for a halfway house, defense attorney Stacey Richman said. Back taxes are one of the main reasons he wants to get back to work.
"Many people are looking forward to experiencing his talent again," Richman said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Mack said Atkins owed the IRS $1.1 million and didn't immediately know what if any had been paid. In March 2011 he admitted in federal court that he failed to pay taxes on more than $3 million he earned between 2004 and 2006 while he lived in Saddle River, N.J.
"I in no way attempted to deceive the government or do anything illegal," he told the judge. "I was a young man who made a lot of money - I'm getting a little choked up - I didn't know how to deal with these finances, and I didn't have people to guide me, so I made mistakes."
Richman said Ja Rule is looking forward to his daughter's graduation.
AP
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