Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino, brother indicted in tax fraud case

NEWARK -- Former "Jersey Shore" reality series star Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino and his brother underpaid taxes on nearly $9 million in income over the last several years, the U.S. attorney's office charged in a seven-count indictment released Wednesday.

The brothers were scheduled to surrender to marshals and make an initial court appearance in U.S. District Court in Newark on Wednesday afternoon.

According to the indictment, the Sorrentinos earned about $8.9 million between 2010 and 2012, mostly through two companies they controlled, MPS Entertainment and Situation Nation. They allegedly filed false documents that understated the income from the businesses as well as their personal income. Mike Sorrentino also is charged with failing to file taxes for 2011, a year in which he earned nearly $2 million.

They also allegedly claimed millions of dollars in bogus business expenses that were actually personal expenses, including purchases of high-end vehicles.

Both brothers are charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States. Marc Sorrentino faces three counts of filing false returns from 2010 to 2012 and Michael Sorrentino is charged with two counts, in addition to one count of failing to file taxes for 2011. The conspiracy is alleged to have run from early 2010 to late 2013 in Monmouth and Ocean counties in New Jersey.

The conspiracy and false filing counts carry maximum potential prison sentences of three years; failure to file carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison.

The cast of the MTV reality show were known for their rowdy lifestyle that occasionally led to legal scrapes. In July, Mike Sorrentino agreed to take anger management classes to resolve assault charges stemming from a July 15 fight with his brother at their family's tanning salon.

Attorneys for the brothers didn't immediately return messages.