November 5, 2008.- Former supermodel and Sports Illustrated girl Valeria Mazza is being acused, along with her husband, of tax evasion in their native Argentina and could face jail time.
Valeria Mazza
Valeria Mazza attends a ballet to commemorate the death of Gianni Versace at La Scala opera house on July 15th,2007 in Milan, Italy.
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Models Valeria Mazza and Tyra Banks stand together at a Sports Illustrated promotional event January 23, 1996 in New York City. Banks and Mazza shared the cover of the thirty-third Swimsuit Issue.
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Argentine top model Valeria Mazza wears a vinile jacket over bra and pants and yellow stockings as she appears on the catwalk for the Swish Jeans fashion house, at the Milan fashions Sunday, March 3, 1996.
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Argentinian top model Valeria Mazza parades on the Spanish Steps in downtown Rome as presenter of the 20th anniversary of the fashion event "Donna sotto le stelle" (Woman under the stars), Wednesday 16 July 2003.
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Model Valeria Mazza wears a dress from Roberto Cavalli during fashion week at the Spanish Steps July 17, 2002 in Rome, Italy.
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Model Valeria Mazza presents the fourth edition of the "Pantene Hair" Contest held on November 25, 2003 at the Telson Studios in Madrid, Spain.
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Valeria Mazza at an event to promote the Sports Illustrated 2004 swimsuit issues.
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Former Sports Illustrated swimsuit models, left to right, Christie Brinkley, Vendela Kirsebom-Thomessen, Valeria Mazza, Roshumba Williams, Cheryl Tiegs, and Stacey Williams attend an event to promote the magazine's 2004 swimsuit issues Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2004 in New York.
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Model Valeria Mazza and husband Alejandro Grabier attend the Laureus World Sports Awards at Parc Del Forum on May 22, 2006 in Barcelona, Spain. The annual ceremony recognizes top sporting achievers, and follows a weekend of sporting events.
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Valeria Mazza and her family arrive at the Valentino - Fall/Winter Haute Couture Fashion Show at the Santo Spirito in Sassia complex on July 7, 2007 in Rome, Italy. Fashion icon Valentino decided to mark the celebration of the 45th anniversary of his luxury brand by breaking a 17 year tradition of unveiling his luxurious haute couture collections for women in Paris with a show in Rome. Valentino showed about 64 couture dresses, a record number considering a HC show never shows more than 40 gowns.
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The 36-year-old former model and her husband declared as "commercial expenses" a series of trips and holidays, automobile maintenance and many personal items for their home in order to evade taxes.
The AFIP claims Mazza's taxes "are incompatible" with what she earns and they accuse her of hiding her income from outside countries, particularly from hosting and participating in several Italian shows.
The couple, who has four children and has been married since 1998, argues that those deducted expenses are "necessary" for Mazza's image.
Mazza was one of the most famous Latin American models, having walked dozens of runways along other supermodels such as Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Elle MacPherson. She's grazed the covers of Sports Illustrated, Cosmopolitan, Vogue, Elle and Glamour, among many more.
Ever since retiring from modelling, she's been dedicated to producing her own brand of cosmetics and accessories.
