Stephen Baldwin has reportedly struck a deal to stay out of jail. The Usual Suspects star failed to pay income taxes to the State of New York between 2008 and 2010, and recently, tax attorneys went after him for the unpaid loot, which adds up to about $350,000. He could have been hit with a lengthy sentence behind bars, but instead, he will admit fault with a guilty plea and get on a regular payment schedule to make amends.
According to TMZ, Baldwin’s attorney Russell Yankwitt recently spilled on the specifics of the deal and said his client will spread the bills over the next five years to consistently chip away at what he owes. If all goes according to plan, he’ll be finished by the end of the timeframe and will be able to move on with his life like this never happened. Here’s a portion of Yankwitt’s official statement…
"Mr. Baldwin is very appreciative he will not be incarcerated. He will pay back what he owes, and is looking forward to putting all of this behind him."
I don’t know if it’s his face or the way he conducts himself, but Baldwin has always come off like he’s hiding something. In fact, last night on Celebrity Apprentice, Dee Snider called him untrustworthy. These tax problems serve as pretty good evidence of that, but hopefully, he can repay his debt in the allotted time to the State of New York and start building some positive headlines.
If you never hear about this situation again, assume Baldwin paid his debt without incident. If you do hear about it again, however, expect the actor to spend some legitimate time behind bars for not living up to his word.
