Singer Lauryn Hill was sentenced to three months in prison on Monday after telling a judge she intended to pay taxes, but it was just a question of when. Yet Hill isn't the only star with tax problems.
(CNN) -- Lauryn Hill told the judge who sentenced her to prison that she planned to pay her taxes; it was just a question of when.
The judge reminded her that citizens don't get to choose when to pay the government just before ordering her to spend three months in a federal prison.
The Grammy-winning singer must report to prison on July 8 to begin serving the sentence for failure to pay federal income taxes for three years, followed by three months of home confinement and a year of supervised probation, the judge said. Hill must also pay penalties and taxes still owed and a $60,000 fine.
Hill pleaded guilty last year to three counts of failing to file tax returns on more than $1.8 million between 2005 and 2007.
The artist appeared Monday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in federal court in Newark, New Jersey, for sentencing.
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Hill told the judge she lives "very modestly" considering how much money her music -- she has sold 16 million records -- earned for other people.
"Someone did the math, and it came to around $600 million," she said. "And I sit here before you trying to figure out how to pay a tax debt? If that's not like enough to slavery, I don't know."
"This wasn't a life of jet-setting glamour," she said. "This was a life of sacrifice with very little time for myself and my children."
The income in question was mostly from music and film royalties paid to companies she owned between 2005 and 2008, according to the U.S. attorney's office.
"Although Hill pleaded guilty to charges specifically related to those tax years, her sentence also takes into account additional income and tax losses for 2008 and 2009 -- when she also failed to file federal returns -- along with her outstanding tax liability to the state of New Jersey, for a total income of approximately $2.3 million and total tax loss of approximately $1,006,517," the prosecutor said.
Hill's lawyer, Nathan Hochman, told CNN that Hill has fully paid her taxes.
"I think the judge gave a fair and reasonable sentence," Hochman said.
Her lack of a prior criminal record and the fact that she has six minor children helped, he said.
"I think the government has let a number of celebrities off and never criminally prosecuted them, Willie Nelson being at least one example," he said. "I think that the court took that into account as well. Ms. Hill did not get a slap on the wrist and let off with just paying a certain amount of money but has had to go through this entire criminal prosecution."
Hill also used her sentencing to talk about her music.
"I didn't make music for celebrity status," she told the court. "I made music for artistic and existential catharsis, which was not just necessary for myself but it was also necessary for the generations of oppressed people who hadn't had their voices expressed like I was able to do it. Music is not something I do from 9 to 5. It's a state of being, and like a doctor who delivers babies, I'm on call all the time because that's the kind of work this is."
Hill revealed in a message posted to her Tumblr account last month that she's been working on new music.
"It has been reported that I signed a new record deal, and that I did this to pay taxes. Yes, I have recently entered into an agreement with Sony Worldwide Entertainment, to launch a new label, on which my new music will be released," Hill wrote. "And yes, I am working on new music."
Her fans have been waiting for new music from her since her 1998 solo album, "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill."
CNN's Doug Ganley contributed to this report.
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Singer/actress Judy Garland's tax debt forced her to do something she vowed she would never do: host a television show. Reeling from poor ticket sales for "A Star is Born," Garland signed a $24 million deal with CBS for "The Judy Garland Show" in 1962 to pay the IRS for delinquent taxes dating back a decade.
Willie Nelson cleared his $32 million tax debt to the IRS by selling assets and with profits from an album titled "The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories." He discovered in 1990 that his accountants had not fully paid his taxes, a find made tougher by losses from investments in the 1980s.
Baseball legend Pete Rose spent five months in prison for tax evasion convictions in 1990, stemming from money made selling autographs and memorabilia. The tax man returned to his door with a $1 million lien for back taxes in 2004.
Lil' Kim blamed her accountant when her tax troubles arose in 2005. The rapper was still behind in paying the government by more than $1 million in 2012.
While O.J. Simpson has known bigger legal problems, delinquent taxes are on the list. The former football star, who's serving a long prison sentence in Nevada, owed the IRS and state of California hundreds of thousands of dollars for the past decade, according to court documents.
Comedian Sinbad racked up a large unpaid tax bill, owing $8 million in 2009 to the IRS for 1998 to 2006 income, according to an IRS court filing in 2012. California officials also reported he owed that state $2 million. After filing for bankruptcy and selling his home, Sinbad used the tax troubles as material for a reality show.
Nicolas Cage revealed in 2010 that he owed $14 million in back taxes, which he has been working to pay off since. A federal tax lien filed last year said he owed $6.2 million from income in 2007.
Wesley Snipes walked out of a federal prison in April after serving a tax evasion sentence that began in December 2010. He claimed that he was not legally obligated to pay federal taxes, an argument a jury did not buy.
Ozzy Osbourne and wife Sharon were hit with a federal tax lien in April 2011 on one of their Los Angeles homes that said the couple owed $1.7 million in back taxes from 2008 and 2009. Sharon Osbourne initially blamed an accountant but later took personal responsibility.
Rapper Jeffrey Atkins, also known as Ja Rule, was sentenced to 28 months in prison in July 2011 for failing to file tax returns with the IRS after admitting that he did not file his taxes for five years. According to 
Former "Baywatch" actress Pamela Anderson was hit by a big back tax bill in December, totaling about $370,000.
Dionne Warwick filed for bankruptcy in March, citing more than $10 million in tax debt dating to 1991. Her publicist blamed "negligent and gross financial mismanagement."
"Hollywood Madam" Heidi Fleiss served 20 months of a 37-month sentence in a federal prison for convictions on conspiracy, tax evasion and money laundering relating to a high-priced prostitution ring servicing the rich and famous.
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