STEVEN SEAGAL LIVING IN RUSSIA TO ESCAPE US CRYPTO FINE
He was once one of Hollywood’s favourite
action heroes and lived a life of luxury in the United States. Now Steven
Seagal is living in Russia, hiding from courts in the United States.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC) says the actor has to pay more than $200 000 in fines and they’re ready
to collect.
The hefty fine is based on Seagal failing to
disclose that he was being paid to promote a digital token. Several years ago the
actor urged his followers on social media not to miss out on the opportunity to
buy Bitcoiin2Gen, a digital token.
The SEC then made allegations against him for
not disclosing that he’d been promised cash to the value of $250 000 and $750
000 in tokens. Without admitting or denying wrongdoing, Seagal settled the
allegations.
He made one payment of $75 000 but failed to
pay the total of more than $330 000.
Now, News24 reports that a federal judge in
Brooklyn, New York, said the SEC can go through Seagal's business manager to
try and collect the outstanding amount.
In 2016 Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the actor Russian
citizenship. Seagal hoped that this would stop the SEC from coming after him,
but it seems as if hiding in a foreign country with a foreign passport can’t
get him out of this mess.
Image credit: NPR