Lauryn Hill, R&B Royalty, Faces Years In Jail  What Does This Mean For Her Six Children?

lauryn hill jailHoly celebrity overload! By now you’ve heard that TomKat are divorcing and Adele is pregs. And now comes major celeb news item #3: Lauryn Hill faces jail time. The Grammy Award-winning singer and mom of six has pleaded guilty to charges she did not pay income taxes for three years running (during which time she earned more than $1.5 million). Hill now faces a maximum of one year in prison on each count. Woah.

Hill rose to stardom in 1998 thanks to the critically-acclaimed “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” which established her as a major player in hip-hop and R&B (I can still remember obsessing over “Everything Is Everything” when it first came out). But she’s managed to keep a low-profile ever since, focusing instead on raising her six children (five of whom she had with Bob Marley‘s son Rohan). Now it looks as though the kids will be visiting mama in prison.

Earlier this month, 37-year-old Hill made headlines for a much different reason: she had invited five of her six children to perform on stage with her at New York’s Highline Ballroom when her little one, John, broke down. That’s all small potatoes, of course, compared to what she’s going through now. Associated Press reports that Hill plans to pay back the taxes she owes (this according to attorney Nathan Hochman).

When she was charged three weeks ago, Hill wrote on her Tumblr page about pop culture being “a climate of hostility, false entitlement, manipulation, racial prejudice, sexism and ageism,” and that she hasn’t paid taxes to ensure the safety of herself and her family. (I know, I know, I don’t get it either.)

Of course, I’m wondering what this all means for her six children, ranging in age from 11 months to 15 years old. I don’t know enough about her setup and who will look after the kids but, however you slice, this will no doubt be a traumatic experience for these poor children who, chances are, won’t have their mom around for a good three years. It’s sad that they’re the real victims here.

(Photo: Johnny Louis/WENN.com)

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