Supermodel Bar Refaeli has been sentenced to nine months of community service by an Israeli court following charges of tax evasion.
The 35-year-old Israeli star - and former girlfriend to Leonardo DiCaprio - was convicted along with her mother back in July, with authorities claiming the pair had evaded paying taxes on income estimated at $7.2 million, Reuters reports.
Appearing in front of the Tel Aviv District Court on Sunday, Refaeli was accompanied by her lawyers, her father, Raffi, and her mother and agent, Tzipi.
Fox News reports that the court accepted a plea bargain, and the two were ordered to repay the millions in taxes they owe to the state, along with a $1.5 million fine.
In addition, Tzipi Refaeli was sentenced to 16 months in prison, which the 65-year-old will reportedly start serving on September 21.
Fox reports how the high-profile case has "damaged [Bar's] well-crafted public image as an informal ambassador" for Israel, as the family attempted to downplay the supermodel's ties to the country.
The case was built around Refaeli’s residence between the years of 2009 and 2012 - years when the model and TV personality landed high-profile international modeling campaigns, featured on the cover of the Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit Edition, and sparked up a romantic relationship with Titanic star Leonardo DiCaprio.
Her attorneys had argued that Bar Refaeli did not have to declare to Israeli tax authorities on the global income she had earned during this time because she was living overseas in the US.
However, Israeli tax law determines residency primarily upon whether the person spent most of the calendar year in the country. Per The Insider, prosecutors argued that Tzipi Refaeli had attempted to help blur her residency status by leasing her luxury homes in Israel.
Nevertheless, prosecutors rejected the supermodel's claims over her residency and tax status, and charged her with providing incorrect tax information.
Court officials also ruled that Refaeli’s relationship with DiCaprio did not qualify as a "family unit", and therefore did not suffice as a US residence.
Tzipi Refaeli was also charged with failure to report income, avoiding paying taxes, and aiding someone else in evading tax payments.
A Courts Administration statement states that Bar was assigned provisionally to perform community service, five days a week, at a center for people with physical disabilities.
Bar is married Israeli businessman Adi Ezra. The couple has three young children together - two daughters, Liv and Elle, and a son, David, born January 2020.
