Making the best of it? Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino’s lawyer, Henry E. Klingeman, spoke to reporters outside the courthouse on Friday, October 5, after the Jersey Shore star was sentenced to eight months in prison for tax evasion.
“We’re disappointed. … We hoped for probation,” Klingeman said after the hearing. “But the judge gave her reasons.” He added that his 36-year-old client has “righted his life.” (Sorrentino celebrated 28 months of sobriety in May after seeking treatment for his struggle with substance abuse.)
“That progress has been interrupted,” Klingeman said. “But this doesn’t set him back.”
The lawyer also noted that they asked the court to allow Sorrentino to surrender in 30 to 60 days, which would allow him to marry his fiancée, Lauren Pesce, before going to prison.
Us Weekly confirmed on Friday that Sorrentino was sentenced to eight months in prison and two years of supervised probation after pleading guilty to one count of tax evasion earlier this year. The MTV star and his brother Marc were indicted in 2014. (Marc was sentenced to 24 months in prison on Friday after he previously pleaded guilty to aiding in the preparation of a false and fraudulent tax return.)
After the news of the sentencing broke, Klingeman released a statement to Us: “Michael accepts the Court’s judgment. He is looking forward to marrying his college sweetheart, Lauren Pesce, next month, and moving forward together after he serves his sentence.”
Sorrentino has yet to publicly comment on his sentencing. Back in August, he spoke exclusively to Us about trying to stay positive during the ordeal.
“We live our life one day at a time, and we’re praying for a positive result. You know, my current situation is not my final destination,” he told Us at the time. “Wedding planning is going fantastic. … I know happy wife is a happy life, so whatever she wants, we’re gonna try to get her.”
