We've all heard the old adage, "I don't have to do nothing, but stay black and die." We all know there are more things in life that one MUST do such as paying taxes. It's quite possible that Robin Givens, ex-wife of both Mike Tyson and former tennis instructor Svetozar Marinkovic, tried to alter her destiny. The veteran actress is in hot water for allegedly neglecting to pay $292,000 in taxes, interest and penalties as far back as 1996.Perhaps this "memory lapse" began when husband number two entered the scene. In 1997, Givens swapped vows with Marinkovic, her then-tennis instructor. This union proved to be a disaster and was even shorter than her marriage to Iron Mike. The day she married Svet, they separated! What could move a person to enter such a commitment and call it quits the same day, citing "irreconcilable differences"?
Ya think?
Back to the financial woe at hand
According to Forbes.com, in a lawsuit filed last week, the feds asked the federal court in Tampa, Fla., to enter a formal judgment against Givens on 39 separate assessments covering eight of the 12 calendar years through 2007. Such a court finding would make it easier for the Internal Revenue Service to try to collect the allegedly unpaid amounts by garnishing Givens' earnings or levying her assets, such as bank accounts.Former classmate of Holly Robinson Peete, Givens has seen her share of trouble with the IRS.
Truth be told, there are state tax liens filed against her in Florida, New York and California, but it appears she has settled some of them. In 2004, she was sued by a little 84-year-old pedestrian whom she struck with her SUV in a crosswalk.
+ Read the Full Story on Robin Givens Tax Troubles Here
Top Celeb Tax Cheats
No. 15 - Wesley Snipes
Tax Crime: Tax fraud charges amounting to nearly $12 million in false returns and six years of not filing.
Lesson Learned: Taxes are due each year, not once every six years. Snipes has been found not guilty of the most serious tax charges.
(Photo: Peter Cosgrove, AP)
No. 14 - Martha Stewart
Tax Crime: Insider trading is not the only thing on Martha's rap sheet. She also got a slap on the wrist for not paying property taxes.
Lesson Learned: Not spending a lot of time at one of your many homes is not a good excuse for allegedly not paying $220,000 in state taxes. (Photo: Bebeto Matthews,AP)
No. 13 - Sinbad
Tax Crime: California put him high on their non-taxpayer list owing more than $2.1 million.
Lesson Learned:The tax man does not find tax evasion funny. (Photo: Steve Snowden, Getty Images)
No. 12 - Dionne Warwick
Tax Crime: Warwick owed nearly $2.7 million according to California's list of most-delinquent taxpayers.
Lesson Learned: Just because you are a do-gooder, that doesn't mean you can skip out on taxes.(Photo: Scott Gries, Getty Images)
No. 11 - Marc Anthony
Tax Crime:Jennifer Lopez's Marc Anthony agreed to pay $2.5 million in back taxes, interest and penalties for his failure to file returns for five years between 2000 and 2004.
Lesson Learned: Make sure youraccountant files your taxes.
No. 10 - Ronald Isley
Tax Crime:The Isley Brothers lead singer went to jail ans was ordered to pay $3.1 million in back taxes in 2006.
Lesson Learned: They called Isley a "serial tax avoider!" Sounds like everyone in America. He is scheduled for release in 2010. (Photo: Alex Brandon, AP)
No. 9 - Nicholas Cage
Tax Crime: The IRS says Cage used a company he owns to wrongly write off $3.3 million in personal expenses.
Lesson Learned: If you buy yourself a turbo jet airplane to fly wherever you want, you can't write it off as a business expense.
No. 8 - Richard Pryor
Tax Crime:The actor/comedian served 10 days in a Los Angeles county jail in 1974 for tax evasion following a tax investigation.
Lesson Learned: Pryor says he told the judge he forgot to pay. The judge told Pryor he'd remember to pay the next year. (Photo: Bob Riha Jr., WireImage.com)
No. 7 - Sophia Loren
Tax Crime: The Academy Award winning Italian actress served an 18-day sentence for tax evasion in an Italian prison in 1982.
Lesson Learned: You have to pay taxes in Italy too.
No. 6 - O.J. Simpson
Tax Crime: O.J. is on California's list of the top 250 delinquency taxpayers. No. 15 to be exact.
Lesson Learned: Will O.J. ever really learn? (Photo: Jae C. Hong, AP)

Comments: (178)
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By: MsMHS on 6/01/2009 3:47PM
Everyone has to pay taxes unless they're illegals, crooks or poor (homeless). It's the reason why we have free education from K-12; it's the reason why we are able to pay our police, firemen and politicians. It's what funds the public libraries.
The only people I know who don't have to pay their taxes are in Obama's cabinet.
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By: Hal on 6/01/2009 2:23PM
Doesn't sound like alot of money for an actress/TV star to only owe the IRS 292 grand after almost 13 years. And it doesn't say much about her career as an actress, too.
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By: jx on 6/01/2009 3:45PM
Robyn has serious problems....she humiliated Mike Tyson and she married a man for one day...it is obvious that she is a self absorbed psycho..
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By: henri on 6/01/2009 4:59PM
pay up miss givens. you should be able to afford it. you did do some crappy movies.... didn't you?
check this out people......
http://www.points2shop.com/index.php?ref=uin1240729060
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By: TABLEWOLFE on 6/01/2009 7:31PM
sus7637
you r simple.
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By: afroswirl on 6/02/2009 1:01AM
DONT CLICK ON THE LINK ON AXIES' COMMENT - IT CONTAINS A VIRUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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By: bob on 6/06/2009 10:20PM
im poor but i have paid my taxes ever year i have worked so why are those people any differen thean we are im black but i givins and sinbad havet did any thing in their whole life to say they are proud to be black
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By: ROYBAKER on 6/18/2009 7:41PM
WOW: SHE IS BROKE?
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