Model Bar Refaeli has 3rd baby as taxman closes in
Supermodel and her husband Adi Ezra welcome first son after 2 daughters; prosecutors seek millions from her for hiding income from authorities
Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli gave birth Tuesday morning to her third child, at a time when she is making headlines for legal woes stemming from tax offenses.
Refaeli, 34, and her husband Adi Ezra welcomed their first son at the Lis maternity ward in Tel Aviv’s Ichilov hospital.
The baby, who has not yet been publicly named, joins the couple’s daughters Liv, born in August 2016, and Elle, born in October 2017.
The birth comes as prosecutors are reportedly demanding that Refaeli pay back at least NIS 12 million (approximately $3.5 million) in unpaid taxes on earnings they say she concealed from authorities, according to a Channel 13 report on Monday. A senior legal source was quoted as saying the amount was “astronomical” in terms of tax offenses.
Refaeli and her mother are said to be in negotiations for a plea bargain aimed at preventing the model from spending time behind bars for allegedly hiding the money from tax authorities.
Tzipi, Refaeli’s mother, is also facing related charges, pending a hearing, of money-laundering and tax-dodging offenses.
The Refaeli family is expected to balk at paying back such a large amount, but may be forced to in order to keep Bar out of prison.
On Sunday the TV station reported that talks between Refaeli’s legal team and prosecutors were in an advanced stage.
One suggestion raised during talks is that Tzipi Refaeli will admit to masterminding the tax and financial offenses and serve a six-month term in prison, preventing her daughter from being incarcerated, the report said. Bar Refaeli would do community service instead. However, there are those in the prosecution who insist that the celebrity model also be sentenced to some time in prison, the report said.
Refaeli’s case has revolved around where she was required to pay tax during the years 2009-2012 based on the location of her home, in Israel or abroad. Authorities say that Refaeli lied in saying she lived mostly abroad, and failed to report the income, pricey gifts, and celebrity discounts she received during that time to Israeli tax authorities.
The model claims she knew nothing about efforts to conceal from tax authorities earnings during that period.
In July, she appealed to the High Court of Justice against a district court decision that ordered her to pay NIS 8 million ($2.3 million) for earnings abroad in the years 2009-2010 on which she had not paid tax.
Stuart Winer contributed to this report.
