Ex-Aston Villa, West Ham, Stoke City striker John Carew is facing two years in prison and a £45,000 fine after pleading guilty.
He is looking at time behind bars for alleged tax evasion crimes, after the punishment was requested by the prosecution in his case at the Oslo District Court.
Carew looks also set to be hit with a hefty fine of £45,353 (540,000 NOK) as well as prison time having also previously pleading guilty to fraud charges brought by the Norwegian tax authority, and the prosecution has insisted he had plenty of opportunities to correct information given to the authorities, but chose not to.
John Carew could be facing two years in prison for alleged tax evasion and a £45,000 fine | Daily Mail Online https://t.co/dDFiIEKzij
— Gareth Farrelly (@garethfarrelly1) October 29, 2022
Police attorney Ragna Flækøy Skjåkødegård stated: ‘Carew has had many, many opportunities to correct the information given to the tax authorities.’
However, he himself claimed that his actions were the result of poor advice from friend, lawyer and former agent Per A. Flod.
Carew is adament that Flod’s advice led him to not disclose income and assets from outside of his home country in his most recent court appearance.
‘I trusted him blindly,’ Carew said. ‘I have been convinced that he was right. He controlled me almost like a puppet.
‘I understand that it is grossly negligent of me to trust him so much, but that is why I have done it.’
Carew will be hit with that five figure fine on top of jail time, should the Oslo District Court’s verdict fall in line with the prosecution’s requests.
He spent over 15 years as a professional footballer, but only three-and-a-half of those were spent in his home country.
Much of his earnings were made abroad, having turned out for the likes of Valencia, Roma, Lyon and Besiktas.
However the now-retired footballer is perhaps best known for his time spent in the Premier League, playing for Aston Villa for four years, West Ham for one, and spent half a season on loan at Stoke.
Carew also made 91 appearances for his nation, scoring 24 times, and was given the award for Norwegian footballer of the year on three occasions between 2005 and 2008.
Six months ago, we reported that he was charged with trying to avoid paying 5.4million krona (about £500,000) between 2014 and 2019.
There is also an accusation that he failed to declare an income of about £1million in the same period, and of hiding £27million.
In 2020, he registered his income as being at £725,000 with a tax liability of £210,000 and £6.3m savings.
He said he had not understood tax law, saying: “I received advice that turned out wrong.”
Lawyer Berit Reiss-Andersen added: “He mistakenly believed he was a tax resident in the UK.
“He wants to make up for it.”
Oslo attorney general Marianne Bender said: “This is a serious case because it involves tax evasion over many years of a significant amount of money.”
In Carew’s press release, he says: “I am aware that I have an independent responsibility to provide correct information, but I have been surrounded by counselors and a support staff since I was quite young.
“I probably know more about football and real estate investments than about complex tax legislation for people living abroad
“I have all my life been preoccupied with what is right and wrong. If I’ve done something wrong, I’ve always made amends. I want to do the same this time”
The maximum sentence for gross tax evasion is six years in jail.
Serious tax evasion is punishable by a fine or imprisonment for up to 6 years. In deciding whether the tax evasion is serious, special emphasis shall be placed on whether it
a. has led to or could have led to the evasion of a significant amount, b. is performed in a way that has made it particularly difficult to detect, c. has been committed on several occasions or over a longer period of time, d. is committed by several in common or has a planned or organized character, e. is carried out by abusing a position or relationship of trust, or there is participation in the exercise of business.
According to Attorney General Marianne Bender, Carew has been staying in Norway far more than what the law allows for without him having to pay tax to his home country.
It is important that people who have lived abroad and who want to move home to Norway must also do this for tax purposes. If you want to live in Norway, you must also pay tax to Norway, she says.
In December 2010, Carew was a victim of fraud after he paid £100,000 for a Porsche Cayenne Gemballa which he never got as it hadn’t arrived. The fraudster car dealer who conned almost £250,000 out of the then-Premier League star was sentenced to 40 months in person.
In 2012, Carew was declared bankrupt following a petition by HM Revenue and Customs with the Bankruptcy Order annulled on the 4th of July 2012, going on to quit football to work in film and TV.
In 2014, Carew starred in his first feature film, a Canadian horror film called Dead of Winter before appearing in a Norwegian-made thriller called Høvdinger, in 2015.
In 2018, he starred in the hugely successful Norwegian TV-series, Heimebane, playing as Michael Ellingsen, an ageing star footballer for a local Norwegian club.
In 2019, Carew played the role of Jungle Warrior in the Disney’s Maleficent: Mistress of Evil alongside Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
HIS PLAYING CAREER:
Youth career
1995–1997 Lørenskog
Senior career
1997–1999 – Vålerenga – 43 games (19 goals)
1999–2000 – Rosenborg – 17 games (19 goals)
2000–2004 – Valencia – 84 games (20 goals)
2003–2004 → Roma (loan) – 20 games (6 goals)
2004–2005 – Beşiktaş – 24 games (13 goals)
2005–2007 – Lyon – 35 games (9 goals)
2007–2011 – Aston Villa – 113 games (37 goals)
2011 → Stoke City (loan) – 10 games (1 goal)
2011–2012 – West Ham United – 19 games (2 goals)
Total – 365 games (126 goals)
National team
1995 – Norway U15 – 7 games (5 goals)
1996 – Norway U16 – 2 games (2 goals)
1996–1997 Norway U17 – 3 games (1 goal)
1997 – Norway U18 – 5 games (5 goals)
1997–2000 – Norway U21 – 24 games (8 goals)
1998–2011 – Norway – 91 games (24 goals)
Fans reacted with the ex-Aston Villa, West Ham, Stoke striker facing two years in prison after pleading guilty…
@Longbridgelions: John Carew Carew he’s going to do a year or two, John Carew Carew 👀
@jay_f_1: Prince William will see to it he doesn’t 😏
@surreyvillan:
John Carew, Carew,
He’s bigger than me and you,
He’s going down for two,
John Carew, Carew
@SkellyVTID: No way! Still a legend. Thought he was doing acting now. The job got too real! Did he play “catch me if you can” the Norwegian version ha.
@bens_online90: Noooo not john Carew 😲
@rogermuffin69: That’s crap news. 😥
@rsmiffy2009: He is best mates with the future king, he ain’t going anywhere
@georgeprokopa: He ain’t smart enough for fraud
Always thought it was Gabby that would get charged for being a fraud. #AVFC pic.twitter.com/S0cGrCk7cH
— Opac (@OP4C) October 27, 2022
Sort it out Wills, john has friends!! pic.twitter.com/aNu0AXKh4v
— Steve Collins (@SteCollins1874) October 27, 2022
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