Aston Villa footballer John Carew is being jailed for 14 months for tax evasion crimes, after unintentionally failing to disclose his income.
John Carew : Jailed | Prison | Tax Evasion | Salary
John Alieu Carew is a Norwegian former professional footballer who played as a forward. He was capped 91 times, scoring 24 goals for the Norway national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Alieu Carew | ||
| Date of birth | 5 September 1979 | ||
| Place of birth | Lørenskog, Akershus, Norway | ||
| Height | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
Carew began his career with his local club Lørenskog, a minor club in the Akershus region.
He was already considered a highly talented youngster and had gained some media attention before he was acquired by Vålerenga in 1997, and in the same year Carew was a part of the team that gained promotion to Tippeligaen and won the Norwegian Football Cup.
During his two-year period at the club he played 58 matches and scored 30 goals, while his profile rose even more due to his combination of strength and goal-scoring ability.
John Carew Jailed
Carew was found at the Oslo District Court to have unintentionally failed to disclose his income and sentenced to more than a year in prison.
John Carew, the former Aston Villa and Norway footballer, has been jailed for 14 months after being found guilty of tax evasion.
The retired striker was found at the Oslo District Court to have unintentionally failed to disclose his income and sentenced to more than a year in prison, along with a fine of 540,000 Norwegian krone (£45,353).
Carew, 43, avoided a longer sentence as the court ruled he had not acted intentionally. Had he deliberately avoided paying his taxes, he could have faced a sentence of more than two years.
The former Norway international previously pleaded guilty to fraud charges brought against him by tax authorities, though maintained throughout the trial that he had not committed fraud deliberately.
His defence attorney, Berit Reiss-Andersen, claimed the trial should have been handled as a confession case due to his guilty plea.
Reiss-Andersen issued a statement to Norwegian news outlet E24, saying: “The court has concluded that he has acted grossly negligently, but not with intent. Then We have claimed this all along, and Carew has been clear that he has wanted to make amends.”
Prison
The judgment stated: “The court has come to the conclusion that Carew should be sentenced for grossly negligent tax evasion for the entire prosecution period.”
So “Furthermore, the court has concluded that Carew should be sentenced to prison for one year and two months, and that he should pay a fine of NOK 540,000,” it continued.
“I realize that I should have understood better, but I didn’t. The most important thing for me to say is that I have done nothing on purpose,” said Carew in court.
In the 38-page judgment, the court concluded that Carew acted ‘grossly negligently’ but believes that it cannot be proven beyond reasonable doubt that the 43-year-old provided incorrect information to the Norwegian tax authorities.
‘According to the evidence presented, the court cannot see that there is a cover for Carew’s decision not to disclose his income and assets, even if the description of the offence was thereby fulfilled,’ district court judge Ingvild Boe Hornburg said in the judgement. But ‘In the court’s view, there is nothing in the evidence that supports such a hypothesis.’
The Norwegian had previously pleaded guilty to fraud charges brought by the Norwegian tax authority, with his defence attorney Berit Reiss-Andersen insisting this case should have been handled as a confession case, given how he admitted to the tax evasion but maintained throughout that he had not committed fraud on purpose.
John Carew Tax Evasion
Carew, 43, has also been hit with a hefty fine of £45,353 (540,000 NOK) for tax fraud totaling £456,264 (5.4million NOK) back in his home country of Norway.
The conviction relates to Carew’s tax affairs during the time he spent playing in England. He must also pay a fine of NOK 540,000, approximately USD $54,000.
As the fine amounts to approximately 10% of the NOK 5.4 million tax fraud related to the case.
During the prosecution period, Carew submitted tax returns to the Norwegian tax authorities as if he were tax resident in the United Kingdom.
However, according to tax law in Norway, anyone who stays for more than 183 days in Norway during a 12 month period is liable to pay tax in Norway.
The indictment is based on the fact that Carew was tax resident in Norway throughout the indictment period. Carew now lives in Oslo.
Salary
John Carew’s income source is mostly from being a successful Player.
| Net Worth in 2022 | $1 Million |
| Salary in 2022 | Under Review |
Carew made his debut in the 3–1 defeat to Newcastle United, but went on to score his first goal for the club in a 1–0 victory against West Ham United just three days later.
Also Villa manager Martin O’Neill praised Carew’s performance after the match.
Carew began the season as Villa’s first-choice forward and much was expected of him by the Villa fans. However, despite some promising performances, it took Carew nearly two months to score his opener for the season against Everton in a 2–0 victory.