Manny Pacquiao Facing Criminal Tax Charges in Philippines

Manny Pacquiao is facing a criminal complaint filed by tax officials in the Philippines, according to an AP report at USA Today, for "failure to submit documents to investigators looking into his tax returns."

Prosecutors will now decide if there is enough evidence to bring the case to court, where Pacquiao could face up to two years in jail if convicted.

Bureau of Internal Revenue regional director Rozil Lozares says a complaint was filed March 1 after Pacquiao failed to submit the documents despite three notices and a subpoena.

He said Thursday that Pacquiao's 2010 tax return contained "discrepancies" considering his many businesses and endorsements.

There has been a lot of chatter about Pacquiao's financial situation in the last couple of years, and it seems like every time something comes up, it just sounds worse than the last story.

This is obviously a fairly big deal and goes beyond gossip and rumors and "sources." This is a criminal complaint filed against him.

Let's also not forget Pacquiao's standing as a Congressman -- whatever you think of that -- which probably isn't going to help him, since he's an elected official and not just a famous boxer now.

Pacquiao faces Timothy Bradley on June 9 in Las Vegas, live on HBO pay-per-view.