Aleksib convicted of tax fraud

A Finnish district court found Counter-Strike player Aleksi "Aleksib" Virolainen guilty of aggravated tax fraud. The 29-year-old player received a 4-month suspended prison sentence with a two-year probation period. The verdict was reported in Finnish press.

According to the court, Virolainen failed to declare approximately 53,000 euros he received from Valve in 2019. This income came from his participation in the IEM Katowice and StarLadder Berlin Major tournaments. Due to the incomplete declaration, about 28,000 euros less income tax was paid.

In his defense, Virolainen admitted that his declaration was incomplete. However, he said he did not intentionally evade taxes and believed the taxes had already been paid. According to the reports, he later paid the taxes that had not been declared.

The court, however, ruled that the failure to declare the income was intentional and that the defendant sought financial gain. The deadline to take the verdict to a higher court runs until November 26 from the date of the ruling.

Because the prison sentence is suspended, Virolainen will not have to enter prison. However, the conviction record may cause problems for visa applications and travel to international tournaments. It is not yet clear whether the verdict will affect the player's ability to compete abroad or his role at NAVI.