Supermodel Bar Refaeli Sentenced to 9 Months of Community Service for Tax Evasion

The model and her mother were photographed at the courthouse wearing masks amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Accompanying them were Bar’s father, Rafi, and their lawyers.

The former Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model, now a popular TV personality in Israel, had pleaded guilty to tax offences under a plea bargain that also included her mother.

Security for their court appearance on Sunday was tight, with barricades in the lobby marking a path to an elevator that took the pair to the courtroom. “We love you Bar,” one woman shouted as the model and her mother, both wearing masks, walked past cameras and reporters, without making any comment.

Defence attorneys had argued that Refaeli, a papparazzi favourite during a romantic relationship with Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio, did not have to declare to Israeli tax authorities worldwide income between 2009 and 2012.