A Finnish district court on Tuesday October 27 convicted Aleksi "Aleksib" Virolainen — 29-year-old in-game leader of Natus Vincere — of aggravated tax fraud.
The case
- Undeclared income: €53,000 in 2019 Valve earnings
- Tied to: IEM Katowice 2019 and StarLadder Berlin 2019 Majors
- Income tax underpaid: approximately €28,000
Defence
Aleksib admitted the filing was short but denied intentionally avoiding taxes. He said he believed they had been paid, and reportedly has since paid the undeclared taxes.
Court finding
The court concluded the omission was intentional and that he sought financial gain.
Sentence
- 4 months of suspended imprisonment
- 2-year probation period
- No actual prison time required
- Appeal deadline: November 26, 2026
Downstream consequences
- Verdict enters his criminal record
- May complicate visa applications and international travel
- HLTV notes it is unclear whether this will affect his ability to compete abroad or his NAVI position
- NAVI did not respond to HLTV's request for comment
Current playing situation
- Still listed as an active NAVI player
- Past 3 months Rating 3.0: 0.92 across 39 maps
- 0.51 KPR / 0.62 DPR
Source: HLTV.org — /news/45828/aleksib-convicted-of-aggravated-tax-fraud
