Aaron Carter was hit November 12 with a bill from the IRS totaling more than $1 million in taxes dating back to 2003. Now the
Dancing With the Stars alum tells TV Guide Magazine exclusively, “If I have to go to prison, I will.” But he won’t surrender without a fight.
The pop star and younger brother of Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter has a long history of legal battles against his parents over money he’s earned since he became a performer at age 7. Now the 21-year-old wants to save other kids from the same kind of troubles. “I’m working on passing a law to protect young people from their parents who want to beat the system,” he says.
In 2003, Carter famously fired his manager mother, Jane, alleging she stole more than $100,000 from him. He then filed for legal emancipation. “It is unfortunate that while Carter was a minor, his finances were grossly mismanaged by his previous team and has lead to the current situation,” a rep for Carter said in a statement. “Aaron is working with a new team to take appropriate actions toward speedy resolution of the matter.”
He’s also hoping to enlist former House Majority Leader and fellow
Dancing alum Tom DeLay in getting the bill to the right people. “Children cannot be held responsible,” he says. “I’m going to use myself as an example.”