It was a conviction on income tax evasion charges that took notorious gangster Al Capone off the streets for good. That was a novel idea in 1931. Since then, federal authorities have continued to use tax statutes to put the squeeze on alleged criminals.
Yesterday, federal authorities leveled counts against gangsta rapper Beanie Sigel. The South Philadelphia native is charged with failing to file income taxes for three years during which he earned about $1.54 million.
Sigel has sold millions of records with hits such as The Truth (1999) and The Reason (2001). During his decade-long career, he also built a reputation as sometime actor and part-time jailbird.
