Ronnie'Mr Biggs' Isley Indicted Print
Written by Westside ID201   
Thursday, 14 October 2004 10:26

Cincinnati native Ronald Isley, soul legend, lead singer of the Isley Brothers, AKA – ‘Mr. Biggs’ to the Rap / Hip Hop community and sometime R. Kelly collaborator, is in a bit of legal trouble. ‘Mr. Biggs’  who suffered a minor stroke back in Aug. 2004,  and has appeared on rap and hip hop tracks with Tupac, Mos Def, the Roots, Black Eyed Peas has Government troubles.

Word comes of his being indicted on tax evasion charges, by tax authorities Thursday.
Ronald ‘ Mr. Biggs ’Isley
was named in a six-count indictment returned on Wednesday by a federal grand jury in Los Angeles.

He is charged with five counts of tax evasion for failing to report income from royalties and performances by the band and one count of failing to file an income tax return, the Internal Revenue Service said.

No figure was given for the amount of the alleged tax evasion but the charges carry a maximum penalty of 26 years in prison. Isley could not immediately be reached for comment

The Isley Brothers formed in the early 1950s and enjoyed their biggest success in the 1960s and 1970s with hits like their cover of "Twist and Shout," "This Old Heart of Mine" and "Who's That Lady."

Members came and went and some died over the years but in 1990 Ronald and his younger brothers Ernie and Marvin reunited and produced several new albums.

The indictment against Ronald Isley covers the period 1997-2002 and alleges that he evaded payment by depositing and using for his own benefit royalty checks issued to other Isley Brothers-related entities and members of the band, including his brother O''Kelly who died in 1986.

While on tour, Isley required that half his fee be paid in cash on each tour date and that he paid his musicians and performances in cash, the IRS said.

Isley is alleged to have controlled several bank accounts, and to have told his booking agent to send part of his tour performance fees directly to third parties for his own benefit.

The IRS said Isley used some of the money from his various accounts to buy a yacht, a $1.8-million house in St. Louis in 1997 and a 100-acre estate in Missouri for approximately $1 million.

An IRS spokesman said Isley had not filed an income tax return between 1997 and 2001, which made it difficult for authorities to determine either his income or how much tax may have been avoided.

Isley is expected to make his first court appearance over the charges in early November.

Source: Yahoo