Lauryn Hill Of The Fugees In Lockup; Former Hip-Hop Superstar Begins Serving Three Month Prison Term For Tax Evasion

Grammy-award-winning singer Lauryn Hill, who won critical acclaim as part of the hip-hop trio The Fugees, reported to prison on Monday to begin a three-month stint as a result of failing to pay her taxes.

Hill pleaded guilty in 2012 to tax evasion charges in New Jersey. She was sentenced in May for not filing tax returns for 2005, 2006 or 2007, which left her owing the IRS $1.8 million. It was discovered at a later time that Hill also failed to pay both state and federal taxes in 2008 and 2009, which brought the total amount owed to the IRS to $2.3 million, according to a report from Rolling Stone.

Hill's attorney sought probation in the case, claiming that due to her charity work, family situation and the fact that she had paid back the taxes she owed, she should be granted some modicum of clemency.

During her sentencing in May 2012, Hill explained that she had stopped paying taxes at a time when she had refused to work as an entertainer any longer, in a bid to protect the livelihood of herself and her children. The singer claimed she had been treated harshly in the entertainment business and was subject to manipulation and threats, which led her to end her own career, Headlines & Global News reports.

"I needed to be able to earn so I could pay my taxes, without compromising the health and welfare of my children, and I was being denied that," Hill, who has six children, reportedly said in court.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra Moser responded to Hill's explanation of failing to keep up with her taxes, calling it "a parade of excuses, centered around her feeling put upon" that didn't exempt her from her fiscal responsibilities, according to various news reports.

Hill received her sentencing and subsequently checked into the Federal Correctional Institute in Danbury, Conn. on July 8. The prison is a minimum security facility where the songstress will reside in an open "dormitory-style" living space and will be expected to work jobs during her time there such as maintenance, food service or landscaping, according to the Associated Press.

Once finished with her prison term, Hill will be required to serve an additional three months under home confinment and will also be put on parole for a period of one year.