Bar Refaeli causes trouble
FOX411: Bar Refaeli causes a stir with her privacy request ahead of her wedding
Bar Refaeli allegedly skipped out on her rent payments, drastically underpaid a designer and kept quiet about a luxury car she received as a gift, according Israel’s tax authority.
The Jerusalem Post and YNet News report the tax authority’s investigation into Refaeli and her mother, which culminated in the pair being arrested this week, unveiled a series of incidents in which the world-famous supermodel did not report millions of dollars in income she earned abroad.
Refaeli and her mother, Tzipi, were arrested on Thursday. The model was released on NIS 750,000 ($192,500) bail and she had to leave a deposit of NIS 250,000 ($64,176). Her mother was also released on bail.
Refaeli reportedly told authorities she considers herself to be an expatriate and therefore thinks she needs to pay less in taxes to the Israeli government.
A lawyer for Refaeli's mother, Giora Adereth, told Israeli Channel 10 TV that "no one here deceived anyone else."
Officials will aim to determine whether or not the supermodel is an Israeli resident, which will drastically affect how much she should be paying in taxes, according to the Jerusalem Post. YNet News explained Israeli residents are required to pay taxes on income they receive anywhere in the world, but foreign residents are only taxed for the income they earn in Israel.
Refaeli and her mother were questioned on Wednesday and detained on Thursday following a months-long investigation into the supermodel’s finances.
The tax authority said that both Refaeli and her mother have been barred from travelling abroad for six months without permission from authorities.
According to the Jerusalem Post, tax officials suspect Refaeli did not pay about $10,000 fees for her Tel Aviv apartment. The model is also accused of paying a designer less than half the normal price for his services. The designer reportedly told authorities he gave Refaeli a large discount in exchange for her public promotion of him.
The tax authority said that Refaeli also failed to report the free Range Rover and Lexus cars she received from car companies in exchange for published photos of herself with the cars.
This is not the first time Refaeli has come under scrutiny in Israel. The model was accused of evading the Israeli army by marrying a family friend and divorcing him shortly after. In Israel, women are exempt from the country’s mandatory military service if they are married.
Refaeli, the former girlfriend of actor Leonardo DiCaprio, models for brands and magazines around the world. She recently wed Israeli businessman Adi Ezra.
Reps for the model did not immediately return FOX411's request for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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