CS2 player Aleksib receives a four-month suspended prison sentence for aggravated tax fraud after failing to declare €53,000 in earnings.
On Tuesday, October 27, Counter-Strike 2 pro player Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen was found guilty of aggravated tax fraud and received a four-month suspended prison sentence.
During the court hearing, the 29-year-old failed to clarify the situation related to his €53,000 earnings from Valve in 2019, with the judge finding his explanation not credible.
The earnings in question stem from Aleksib’s participation in the Intel Extreme Masters Katowice and StarLadder Berlin Majors, where the Finn, as an in-game leader of ENCE, placed second and fifth-eighth, respectively.
ENCE, as a team, earned US$183,000 (≈€164,284) in tournament winnings across the two events, with Aleksib also securing a profit from Major sticker sales.
In the court hearing, Aleksib admitted that his tax filing was not done correctly, but denied any intention of tax fraud.
As reported, he paid approximately €28,000 less in income tax than he should have, but has since paid the undeclared taxes.
The Finnish court found that Aleksib’s failure to declare the income was intentional and done for financial gain. As a result, Aleksib has received a four-month suspended prison sentence.
That does not require him to serve prison time, but it will be entered into his criminal record, which could lead to visa complications and could affect his esports career and his participation in international events with Natus Vincere.
Natus Vincere have yet to comment on the situation, so it remains unclear whether Aleksib’s spot as NAVI’s in-game leader will be affected.
Natus Vincere are currently attending PGL Masters Bucharest 2026, where they are competing for the lion’s share of the $1,250,000 prize pool and critical VRS points, which will get them closer to qualifying for the PGL Singapore Major.
As of now, Natus Vincere are close to guaranteeing a spot in the Major, with a 90.06% chance of securing a spot as European representatives.
Mark Prezelj
Esports Betting Analyst
Mark Prezelj is a Slovenian esports betting analyst with over 3,500 articles at EsportBet and the founder of Lines64.com — someone who has been reading odds longer than most readers have been watching esports.
