Duggar Family Followers Question if Jim Bob Duggar Could Be in Trouble for Tax Evasion After Jill Dillard Spills the Financial Tea
Jill Dillard’s new book, Counting the Costs, includes several big bombshells. A large portion of the book revolves around money. In the memoir, Jill revealed that Jim Bob Duggar had inaccurately claimed she and her husband, Derick Dillard, had earned a large sum of money for their time on the family’s reality TV show. The duo asserts they never saw the money and only learned that they had allegedly earned it when they received a notice from the IRS. The revelation has Duggar family followers wondering if Jim Bob Duggar could find himself in hot water for tax evasion. He wouldn’t be the first reality TV star to find themselves on the wrong side of the law because of money.
Jill Dillard reveals the family feud reached a high point after a tax issue
Jill Dillard’s book, Counting the Cost, highlights the dysfunction inside the Duggar family. The memoir discusses everything from Josh Duggar’s sex crimes to how TLC and the production company controlled the lives of the Duggar family’s adult children. However, the book’s most interesting part delves into Jill Dillard’s relationship with her father, Jim Bob Duggar.
For the first time, Jill Dillard revealed she and her father had a falling out after she and Derick Dillard asked Jim Bob to cover an unexpected tax bill. According to the author, Jim Bob’s accountant suggested the duo had received income for filming the family’s reality TV show when they hadn’t. Aside from being exploitative, Duggar family followers are questioning if what Jim Bob did constitutes fraud.
Duggar family followers wonder if Jim Bob Duggar could face tax evasion issues
Jill Dillard insists that she and her husband had never received the pay listed on their tax returns. That pay and their search for answers is what really set Jim Bob Duggar off. Still, we have questions. Is he just angry at Jill over what he perceived as disobedience, or is he worried about more? Duggar family followers took to Reddit to discuss Jill Dillard’s book, and more than a few have questioned if Jim Bob Duggar could face tax evasion charges because of what Jill revealed.
Tax evasion is the act of underreporting or not reporting income in an attempt to pay less in taxes. That might come in the form of failing to report income or utilizing tax credits you are not entitled. Claiming dependents that do not exist or who can not be claimed is also considered tax evasion. There is, however, a statute of limitations on certain crimes.
While Jim Bob Duggar has not been indicted on any tax-related crimes at this time, it’s not the first time tax fraud has been brought up in connection to the former reality TV star. In 2019, after the Department of Homeland Security raided Josh Duggar’s car lot, Jeremy Vuolo liked a comment regarding tax fraud. According to In Touch, a follower left a comment suggesting the IRS was investigating Jim Bob Duggar for tax evasion. Jeremy liked that comment but never personally commented on the situation.
As it turned out, the investigation was related to Josh Duggar’s sex crimes. Jeremy Vuolo married Jinger Vuolo in 2016. While Jinger hasn’t gone against the family in the same ways Jill Dillard has, she has stepped away. Jinger has admitted to having a complicated relationship with her parents.
Several other reality TV stars found themselves slapped with serious tax-related charges
While it’s unclear if the government has ever or will ever investigate Jim Bob Duggar for tax evasion, if it were to happen, he would not be the first reality TV star to stroll into court for tax-related crimes. Over the years, several powerful reality TV stars have been arrested and have served time for tax evasion and fraud.
In 2013, Teresa Giudice and her then-husband, Joe Giudice, were indicted on various fraud charges. Joe Giudice, who ran his own business, was also charged with failing to file an income tax return for several years. According to Forbes, Teresa pled guilty to a host of fraud charges as part of a plea deal. Joe pled guilty to several more charges, including his failure to file income tax returns. Both served jail time. Joe Giudice was deported to Italy. Teresa later filed for divorce.
In 2018, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino pleaded guilty to falsifying tax records. A judge sentenced him to eight months behind bars. Sorrentino served his time at FCI Otisville in upstate New York in 2019. According to Complex, the reality TV star still owed the IRS over $2 million in back taxes as of 2022. Sorrentino rose to fame in the early 2000s on Jersey Shore.
In 2022, Chrisley Knows Best stars Todd and Julie Chrisley were found guilty of several fraud charge. One of those charges was conspiracy to defraud the United States. A judge sentenced them both to lengthy prison terms. Todd Chrisley received 12 years behind bars. Julie Chrisley was sentenced to seven years at a federal correctional facility.
