Former NHL goaltender convicted of found guilty in Finland
Former NHL goaltender Mika Noronen has been convicted of tax fraud in his home country of Finland after failing to include his NHL pension on his tax return
Mika Noronen, a former first-round NHL pick who went on to play for the Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks, has been found guilty of tax fraud in his home country of Finland. The conviction deals with income earned from his NHL pension.
According to Ilta Sanomat, Noronen was actually given a 60 day jail sentence, but it was suspended by a judge because of his clean criminal record. Noronen can avoid jail time by completing certain conditions. The prosecution asked for 8 months.
The pension was triggered when the ex-goalkeeper turned 40 in June, 2019. Noronen reported his tax number to the US authorities in Finland and requested payment to a Finnish bank account.
The money arrived in Noronen's account. The following spring, Noronen received a pre-filled tax return but failed to declare his pension income."
For his part, Noronen said it was a complete accident, and there was no intent on his part to avoid paying taxes on his pension.
Noronen has repaid the money he owed, which included what he called "a few tons" on interest. The judge in the case sided with Noronen, saying he did not believe the ex-NHLer was trying to evade paying taxes. However, what he did was still a crime and punishment was required.
| POLL | ||
MAI 14 | 132 ANSWERS Former NHL goaltender convicted of found guilty in Finland What are your thoughts on Mika Noronen's conviction on tax fraud? | ||
| Punishment was too light | 29 | 22 % |
| Shouldn't have been punished for a mistake | 46 | 34.8 % |
| I'm not sure | 57 | 43.2 % |
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