Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino expected to plead guilty to tax evasion

Mike 'The Situation' had pleaded not guilty last week

ByABC News
January 17, 2018, 3:24 PM
Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino and fiancee Lauren Pesce appear for Sorrentino's arraignment on tax fraud charges at the Martin Luther King Building and U.S. Courthouse, Oct. 23, 2014, in Newark, N.J.
Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino and fiancee Lauren Pesce appear for Sorrentino's arraignment on tax fraud charges at the Martin Luther King Building and U.S. Courthouse, Oct. 23, 2014, in Newark, N.J.
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

— -- "Jersey Shore" reality TV star Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino is expected to plead guilty Friday, three weeks before his trial on tax evasion charges was set set to begin.

Sorrentino, 35, had faced 15 years in prison if convicted of the charges.

PHOTO: Reporters gather around Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino as he leaves the MLK Jr. Federal Courthouse in Newark, N.J., after a court appearance, Sept. 24, 2014.
Reporters gather around Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino as he leaves the MLK Jr. Federal Courthouse in Newark, N.J., after a court appearance, Sept. 24, 2014. Former "Jersey Shore"?� reality TV star Sorrentino is expected to plead guilty to federal tax charges.

It is unclear as to which charge Sorrentino is pleading guilty.

Sorrentino, 35, and his brother, Marc Sorrentino, were charged with conspiracy to commit fraud in 2014, and were indicted on claims they did not properly pay taxes on $8.9 million earned by the reality TV star for promotional activities.

Marc Sorrentino, who also acted as his brother's manager, was charged with three counts of filing false tax returns from 2010 to 2012. Mike Sorrentino was charged with two counts, as well as failure to file a tax return for 2011, when he allegedly earned nearly $1.96 million.

A court filing submitted by prosecutors to the presiding judge said "the parties informed the Court that both defendants have agreed to plead guilty."

The plea hearing is scheduled for Friday at 11 a.m. in New Jersey.

The brothers had originally pleaded not guilty.

PHOTO: TV personality Michael 'The Situation' Sorrentino arrives at The 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards held at Staples Center on Feb. 13, 2011 in Los Angeles.
TV personality Michael 'The Situation' Sorrentino arrives at The 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards held at Staples Center on Feb. 13, 2011 in Los Angeles.

"According to the indictment, Michael and Marc Sorrentino filed false tax returns that incorrectly reported millions made from promotions and appearances," U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said at the time. "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."

Additional charges were filed last year when federal prosecutors announced a superseding indictment that accused Mike Sorrentino of tax evasion and structuring funds to evade currency transaction reports. Marc Sorrentino was charged with falsifying records.

PHOTO: 'Jersey Shore' cast members on June 7, 2010 in West Hollywood, Calif.
'Jersey Shore' cast members Jenni 'JWoww' Farley, Angelina Pivarnick, Sammi ÒSweetheartÓ Giancola, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, Paul 'Pauly D' DelVecchio, Vinny Guadagnino, Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi and Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino on June 7, 2010 in West Hollywood, Calif.

"The Situation" was a co-star on the "Jersey Shore," which ran from 2009 to 2012. MTV, which aired the show, announced that it would bring back seven of the eight cast members -- including Sorrentino -- for a reunion series this year.