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Sorrentino entered his formal plea to four criminal counts
before U.S. District Judge Susan Wigenton in Newark, New Jersey.
His brother, Marc, also pleaded not guilty to four counts.
The judge set their trial for Dec. 2. Both defendants are free
on bond.
Federal prosecutors last month accused the brothers of trying to
avoid paying taxes on $8.9 million of Michael Sorrentino's
income from 2010 to 2012.
They said the brothers did this by filing false tax returns that
understated their income, and improperly claiming millions of
dollars of expenses on clothes, expensive vehicles and other
personal items as business expenses.
Michael Sorrentino faces two counts of filing false tax returns,
and one count each of conspiracy and failing to file a tax
return. Marc Sorrentino faces three counts of filing false tax
returns and one count of conspiracy.
"Jersey Shore" featured 20-something Italian-Americans partying,
tanning and complaining about their jobs at a beachfront T-shirt
stand.
Michael Sorrentino popularized the phrase "gym, tan, laundry" to
describe the pre-party routine of cast members. His Twitter
account has about 1.45 million followers. "Jersey Shore" ended
production in 2012.
Richard Sapinski, a lawyer for Michael Sorrentino, said he will
be reviewing materials provided by the government through
discovery, "and starting to prepare for trial."
The case is U.S. v. Sorrentino et al, U.S. District Court,
District of New Jersey, No. 14-cr-00558.
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'Jersey
Shore' star pleads not guilty to tax fraud, trial set
