A Brazilian federal court has issued warrants to block $50 million worth of assets from soccer star Neymar over $16 million he owes in unpaid taxes, the Associated Press reports. A yacht, a jet and properties in six cities reportedly have been frozen.
According to the BBC, Brazilian prosecutors allege that Neymar and his family set up companies as fronts in order to pay a lower rate of tax from 2011 to 2013, when he played for Santos in his home country. He has since become one of the world’s top stars while playing for Barcelona in Spain.
Neymar has denied wrongdoing and doesn’t face jail time over the taxes, but the government has moved to seize his assets in order to ensure that he pays his bill. The court rejected his appeal last week, leading the government to start freezing his assets.
“If he pays what he owes, the case is closed,” an auditor with Brazil’s federal tax agency told the Associated Press. “Our legislation isn’t too harsh.”
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