Helio Castroneves tearfully appeared in court today in handcuffs and shackles. He pleaded not guilty to tax fraud and immediately had his passport taken away. He had to post $10 million dollars in bail and is able to race this weekend. His sister Kali and lawyer Alan Miller were arraigned as well. YIKES!

My question is, if he can afford to pay $10 million in bail, he can afford to pay taxes on $2 million. What was he thinking?

SI Reports:

NASCAR and IRL drivers are keeping a close eye on the Helio Castroneves/Alan Miller tax evasion case, some because Miller is also their agent and others because Team Penske could be in need of a new driver as early as late October.

Miller, who couldn’t be reached for comment on Friday, is involved with some of the top drivers in Sprint Cup, including two-time champion and current points leader Jimmie Johnson, as well as Clint Bowyer and Casey Mears.

“It is certainly shocking,” Johnson said Friday. “Alan has been my attorney since I was 15. He has been a great friend and has helped me with a lot of great things. I have an outside tax group that helps me, so right now, everything is still the same. I’m learning a lot as time goes on here and there is still a lot to be investigated and uncovered moving forward. I’m interested in what we learn.

It sounds the like the IRS is trying to make an example out of Helio. In the process, they will scare the crap out of other race drivers as well. The message is don’t f**k with Uncle Sam. My prediction is that he will plea bargain or be found not guilty, and hustle back to Brazil. If he doesn’t, he definitely should.