Cristiano Ronaldo Pleads Guilty to Tax Fraud & Avoids Jail Term

Cristiano Ronaldo is all smiles while holding hands with his girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez while arriving at the Provincial Court of Madrid on Tuesday (January 22) in Madrid, Spain.

The 33-year-old Portuguese soccer superstar appeared in court to pled guilty to tax fraud after being accused of using a shell company to hide income generated by his image rights over the course of about three years, during his days at Real Madrid.

Cristiano was given a two-year suspended sentence and will not have to go to prison, but he will be fined nearly $21.6 million.

Prosecutors wanted the soccer forward to serve 23 months in prison, but under Spanish law a first-time offender sentenced to less than 2 years can have the term suspended.