Famous American faces slapped by the taxman

Tax season is here, and it's time to check off that IRS list.

Thinking about keeping some dough in the low?

Think again!

In the past, some famous people—and some not so famous— have cut corners and cheated on taxes, hoping to save some cash, but the move ended up very costly for them, and in some cases, it resulted in jail time.

Most Americans are against tax cheating, according to a recent survey.

Click ahead to find out which famous faces have been slapped by the taxman.

—By CNBC's Silvana Ordoñez
Posted 13 March 2014

World Cup alpine skier Lindsey Vonn ran into tax troubles in 2012. The IRS filed a $1.7 million tax lien against Vonn and her estranged husband.

The Olympic and World Cup champion skier quickly paid off the hefty sum to the IRS.

"The money owed was for the 2010 tax year, which was filed on time, and it has been paid in full," Vonn explained on her Facebook page on April 15, 2012. "This is an important lesson for me. Not being in control of my finances and relying on someone else who you believed had your best interest at heart was a mistake and one I will not make twice."

In 2008, Snipes was convicted of three misdemeanor charges for failing to report to Uncle Sam.

Prosecutors claimed that the "Blade" trilogy actor failed to report $38 million worth of income generated between 1999 and 2001.

Cheating the IRS resulted in prison time for the actor, who served from Dec. 9, 2010 until April 2, 2012.

Remember the album "Who'll Buy My Memories? (The IRS Tapes)"? Willie Nelson sure does.

It was the album the country singer released to pay off the $16.7 million bill the IRS sent him for back taxes. Nelson's lawyer managed to negotiate the debt down to $6 million.

The only problem was that Nelson did not have money to pay off the debt, and in 1990, the feds took nearly everything the artist owned.

"We don't pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes."

This quote, reported by Helmsley's former housekeeper during the real estate magnate's tax evasion trial, haunted her until she died in 2007.

Helmsley was convicted of evading $1.2 million in federal tax income. She served 18 months in prison.

Tyco's former CEO, who was convicted of stealing millions from the company, also tried to cheat the IRS.

Kozlowski avoided New York sales taxes of 12 paintings, including a Monet and a Renoir, by making it seem like the paintings were shipped to then Tyco's headquarters in New Hampshire, instead of his Manhattan apartment.

But Kozlowski got caught, and in 2006, he agreed to pay $21.2 million to settle charges, according to The New York Times.

Cunningham's career in Congress ended after the former California representative pleaded guilty to taking in $2.4 million in bribes and evading taxes on that cash.

Breaking the law resulted in seven years in prison for Cunningham, who was freed in 2013.

In 2012, the IRS issued a $1.1 million lien against the singer for unpaid income taxes in 2010.

The first winner of the reality TV show "Survivor" did not survive the wrath of the IRS. Hatch evaded taxes on the $1 million grand prize. He was sentenced to 51 months in prison.

Before her conviction in an insider trading scandal, Stewart had already faced the law on charges of owing New York state $220,000 in back taxes

Before his confirmation as Treasury secretary in 2009, Geithner was the center of a tax scandal for failing to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes for years while he worked for the IMF.

The scandal, however, did not prevent Geithner from serving his term in the Treasury.