Ron Isley Remains Behind Bars, Judge Denies Plea For Early Prison Release

[ekolost]

Old school R&B crooner Ronald Isley won't get out of jail early because of old age and poor health as he had hoped. An appellate court has upheld his 37-month federal prison sentence for tax evasion.

The 66 year-old lead singer of The Isley Brothers, who also goes by the name Mr. Biggs, felt that his sentence was unreasonable, arguing that a federal prison system cannot provide for his health needs, especially given his age, according to the Associated Press.

But the three-judge panel ruled that Isley's not paying taxes for three years and stiffing the government on monies due was a bigger deal than his health condition.

The appellate court said in its ruling that the sentence "best balanced the need to sanction Mr. Isley's 'pathological' tax evasion against the need to accommodate Mr. Isley's poor health."

Isley did suffer a stroke in 2004 but was active enough to continue performing live shows during that time.

Back in September of 2006, the R&B legend was convicted on five counts of tax evasion and one count of failing to file a tax return.

Prosecutors say Isley declared bankruptcy after the IRS seized his yacht, cars and other property in 1997. But when he was discharged from bankruptcy four years later, he didn't file tax returns for five years. When he did file taxes in 2002, he didn't sign his return or pay all taxes due.

Isley tried his hardest to get a presidential pardon before being locked up and Def Jam rallied behind its artist, seeking fans' support in the form of letters to the White House. Isley even offered to perform for U.S. troops in a bid for his freedom.

But this latest effort with the appeals court was his last opportunity to escape serving his jail sentence.

Isley is currently incarcerated at the Terre Haute Federal Corrections Institution in Indiana and his projected release date is in April 2010.