flusha fined and sentenced for tax evasion over Fnatic winnings

Fnatic’s Robin “flusha” Rönnquist was convicted of tax evasion stemming from his winnings from Fnatic’s 2015 banner year, according to a report by the Swedish news fragbite.se.

The charge stems from what the Swedish courts say was a miscategorization of flusha’s winnings over the course of 2015, during which time flusha’s tournament winnings were reported as salary. Much like in the United States and other countries, any prize winnings are taxed at a different, and often higher, rate than an employee salary. 

flusha in trouble for tax evasion, sentenced to community service

Will flusha have to go to jail for tax evasion?

During the proceedings, flusha claimed that the 2015 tax filing was a result of a mix-up and that it was ultimately an accident. The Swedish courts in Attunda seemed to agree, but still came down hard on the CSGO player. The rifler’s charge came with the possibility of up to four months in jail, but the courts instead instructed him to complete 120 hours of community service and donate the equivalent of $100 dollars to the Swedish Crime Victim Fund. The donation to the fund is a standard charge in Sweden that is required of anyone convicted of a crime that is “punishable by a prison sentence.”

Although flusha won’t spend any time in jail, he’s still on the hook in regard to the back taxes owed from 2015. flusha and Fnatic amassed over $1,000,000 in prize money during its run in 2015, meaning that flusha’s share of the team’s winnings was around $220,000. The courts issued a judgment that requires the CSGO player to pay the back taxes on that amount to the tune of the original tax plus an additional 40%.

• Fnatic fined over $1m SEK for tax evasion with regard to employee payroll

flusha’s run-in with the Swedish courts could have stemmed from an investigation and indictment against the Fnatic organization announced in September 2019, where courts found that the organization had failed to pay payroll taxes over both 2016 and 2017. With his being an employee of Fnatic at the time, it’s possible that flusha’s financials would have been included in that investigation.