Rapper Ja Rule jailed for tax evasion

The 36-year-old Grammy-nominated rapper is returning to jail for tax evasion charges after serving time for illegally possessing a gun. 

Jeffrey Atkins, as he's otherwise known, served a 28-month sentence and went straight back to prison this month for evading tax between 2004 and 2006.

Ja Rule failed to pay tax on more than $3m in income, leaving him with a hefty tax bill of around $1m. 

Ja Rule said his lack of financial guidance, coupled with huge earnings and youth, led to the tax evasion.

"I in no way attempted to deceive the government or do anything illegal. I was a young man who made a lot of money. I didn't know how to deal with these finances and I didn't have people to guide me, so I made mistakes." he told the court at the time.

In March 2011, he admitted he had failed to pay tax on the earnings after pleading guilty to the gun offence in 2010. 

New York City police found a loaded .40-calibre semi-automatic gun in the rear door of Ja Rule's $250,000 car after he was stopped for speeding.

The rapper, best known for Grammy-nominated album Pain is Love and his acting roles in Scary Movie 3 and The Fast and the Furious, hasn't been seen on the charts in recent years owing to his money troubles. 

Once he's out of the clink though, his defence attourney Stacey Richman said he was eager to get back to work and pay his tax bill off, according to the AP.