Mike ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino gets 8 months in prison for tax evasion

HE was one of the biggest stars of popular TV series Jersey Shore - but now he’s in a sticky “Situation” after being sentenced to prison for tax evasion.

Mike ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino gets 8 months in prison for tax evasion. Picture: AP

“The Situation” is going from the shore house to the big house.

Jersey Shore star Mike Sorrentino was sentenced to eight months in prison for admittedly dodging taxes on some of his income.

A lawyer for the 37-year-old gym rat begged the judge for probation, insisting that he’s cleaned up his act, but prosecutors wanted 15 months.

The Jersey Shore cast members (L-R): Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino, Jenni 'JWoww' Farley, Paul 'Pauly D' Delvecchio, Deena Cortese, Vinny Guadagnino, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, Sammi 'Sweetheart' Giancola and Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi, in 2012. Picture: AP

Sorrentino — who rose to reality fame as “The Situation” on the MTV show — also grovelled to Judge Susan Wigenton in Newark federal court for a “second chance” in his bid to stay out of jail.

“I’m deeply sorry for my past actions. Today I’m the man that I should’ve been years ago,” he said. “I’ve worked tirelessly to overcome my demons and put my life back together.”

He admitted he was too “inexperienced, under-educated, immature to handle everything that comes with overnight success” — but is different now.

“Today I live with integrity,” Sorrentino told the judge.

Sorrentino was known for his ab-flashing antics. Picture: Supplied

With Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi. Picture: AP

“I don’t drink, I don’t do drugs, I don’t cheat, I don’t steal, I don’t even drive fast anymore,” he added, which prompted chuckles from the courtroom.

In addition to jail time, Sorrentino was sentenced to two years of supervised release with drug testing and treatment. He was also ordered to complete 500 hours of community service when he’s released and was hit with a $10,000 fine.

He has already paid restitution in the amount of $123,913.

Sorrentino and his older brother, Marc, were indicted in 2014 on conspiracy charges related to $8.9 million in income they raked in between 2010 and 2013. The siblings were accused of underreporting their earnings to avoid paying federal taxes.

Sorrentino attended many flashy parties at the eight of his fame. Picture: Supplied

Court papers show Mike Sorrentino made $1,500 to $48,000 per public appearance at nightclubs, bars and liquor stores during the peak of the hit MTV series. The bulk of the booking fees would be paid in cash, some of which wasn’t reported in full as income, the indictment said.

In January, the brash-talking gym rat — who is now sober after struggling with drug and alcohol abuse in the past — pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion.

He said he now volunteers speaking to high school students about the risks of substance abuse.

“I found my purpose in sobriety,” he told the judge. “People can look at me and say, ‘If he can do it, I can.’”

Wigenton cheered his sobriety and “sincerity” in his statements to the court.

“You’ve been given a gift to basically be yourself and get paid for it,” the jurist noted.

But, the reality was, she said, “You have to pay taxes.”

“You are a grown man and grown men have responsibilities,” she added.

Sorrentino’s former castmates were in attendance for the sentencing. Picture: Supplied

Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and Jenni "JWOWW" Farley at the 2018 MTV Music Awards. Picture: Getty

Mike Sorrentino flashed his abs and boasted about hook-ups on all six seasons of Jersey Shore. The series ran from 2009 to 2012 and followed his and his roommates’ debaucherous lives while crashing at a shore house in Seaside Heights.

The show’s spin-off, Jersey Shore: Family Vacation, debuted earlier this year.

Before his sentencing, Mike Sorrentino shared hugs with his MTV family — castmates Jenni “JWoww” Farley, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, Vinny Guadagnino, Deena Cortese, Angelina Pivarnick and Pauly “Pauly D” DelVecchio — outside the courthouse in downtown Newark.

Mike Sorrentino and Jeffrey Ross are onstage in 2010. Picture: AP

Meanwhile, Marc Sorrentino was also in court Friday and was sentenced to two years in prison.

He copped to one charge of assisting in the preparation of a false return.

A date for the Sorrentinos to surrender has not yet been set.

This article originally appeared in the New York Postand has been reproduced here with permission.