Ron Isley gets 3 years on tax charges

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Ronald Isley, one of the legendary Isley Brothers, was sentenced to more than three years in prison Friday on five counts of federal income tax evasion.

Isley must report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, where due to his health condition, he will most likely spend his time in a federal hospital, E! Online reported Saturday.

Isley had unpaid taxes between the years 1997 and 2002 on $3.1 million. U.S. District Judge Dean Pregerson in Los Angeles called the "Twist and Shout" crooner a "serial tax avoider."

Isley's attorney, Anthony Alexander, had argued that his client deserved probation due to his frail health, citing stroke he suffered two years ago and a recent battle with kidney cancer.

IRS agents said Isley, 65, who had pleaded "not guilty" on all counts last year, had assets in the millions at the time of his indictment and had gone to great lengths to hide them in different bank accounts and by signing them over to relatives.