Counter-Strike 2 Pro Aleksib Faces Four-Month Suspended Prison Sentence Over Charges of Aggravated Tax Fraud

Finnish Counter-Strike 2 pro Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen is facing a possible four-month suspended prison sentence over alleged “aggravated tax fraud” after failing to declare income from in-game sticker sales.

In Counter-Strike 2, players can purchase virtual stickers and place them on their weapons. They are an in-game item that can be bought on the Steam Marketplace, the CS2 Store, or in capsules, as well as through third-party websites.

It’s not uncommon for professional teams to get a cut of the money earned from sticker sales and other in-game purchases when they compete at major tournaments — and it’s this revenue that prosecutors say Virolainen failed to include on his tax forms.

On Friday, October 16, an indictment was read aloud at the Eastern Uusimaa District Court that accused the pro player of failing to declare €53,000 in income (about $59,553.18 USD) from Valve in 2020, the developer of Counter-Strike 2. …