Supermodel Bar Refaeli Arrested for Alleged Tax Evasion

Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli was arrested Thursday for allegedly lying about her place of residence to avoid paying millions of dollars in taxes.

Both Refaeli and her mother Zipora were arrested Thursday after Israeli authorities conducted a raid on their home on Wednesday, according to Agence France-Presse. Israel’s most famous model is accused of failing to report “dozens of millions of shekels” in income from abroad, the country’s Tax Authority told the outlet.

Israel’s Tax Authority claims Refaeli had attempted to show she lived outside of Israel by living in apartments registered under her mother and brother’s names. According to AFP, the supermodel is suspected of having a contract with a luxury apartment building owner in Tel Aviv that provided “leaks” to gossip outlets to promote the fact that she lived there.

Refaeli is also accused of failing to report celebrity perks she earned while working as a model, including a Range Rover and a Lexus she received in exchange for taking photographs inside them.

Refaeli was released on $193,000 bail on Thursday, reports the BBC. Both the supermodel and her mother were forced to surrender their passports and cannot leave Israel without permission for 180 days.

A lawyer for Refaeli has reportedly denied the allegations.

“There is no drama,” Giora Aderet told the Israeli news site NRG. “In the end, this is just a civil dispute. No one cheated anyone else. It will all clear up soon.”

Refaeli, who once dated actor Leonardo DiCaprio, currently serves as the host of the X Factor Israel and has modeled for dozens of international brands including Castro, Garnier and Escada. She covered Sports Illustrated‘s Swimsuit issue in 2009 and was named the highest-paid model in Israel in 2013 by Forbes.

 

The supermodel married Israeli billionaire Adi Ezra in September.