MADRID (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo has arrived in court and is expected to plead guilty to tax fraud.
The Juventus forward, who is facing charges stemming from his days at Real Madrid, arrived in a black van and was wearing a black sports coat and black pants. He walked up some stairs leading to the court house and even stopped to sign an autograph.
Ronaldo is expected to receive a suspended two-year sentence as part of a deal struck with Spain’s state prosecutor and tax authorities last year. The agreement will cost him nearly 19 million euros ($21.6 million) in fines.
In Spain, a judge can suspend sentences for two years or less for first-time offenders.
In 2017, a state prosecutor accused Ronaldo of four counts of tax fraud from 2011-14 worth 14.7 million euros ($16.7 million). Ronaldo was accused of having used shell companies outside Spain to hide income made from image rights.
___
More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/apf-Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
___
Tales Azzoni on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tazzoni
