Grammy Award-winning singer Lauryn Hill was sentenced to three months in prison and an additional three months of home confinement on Monday for failure to pay taxes totaling about $1 million dollars earned between 2005 and 2007. She plead guilty to charges of tax evasion last year - a move the singer attributes to lack of proper earnings following her departure from the music business. She has also pointed to a need to guarantee the safety of her family during that time; Hill is the mother of six children. Prior to sentencing, she reportedly paid over $970,000 in state and federal taxes to satisfy her outstanding debt. Given an opportunity during the hearing to address the circumstances, Lauryn responded with forceful remarks:
"I am a child of former slaves who had a system imposed on them."
She continued by saying,
"I came to be perceived as a cash cow and not a person. When people capitalize on a persona, they forget there is a person in there."
Her courtroom statements are echoed by "Neurotic Society" - the track she released earlier this week. Lauryn Hill's attorney reportedly sought probation for the singer, who initially faced up to one year in prison on each of the three counts. Hill is scheduled to report to prison in July. No word yet on where she will be detained.
