Finnish Counter-Strike 2 professional player Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen faces a possible four-month suspended sentence for suspected aggravated tax fraud. The reported controversy relates to income generated from in-game stickers: the allegation is that he failed to declare proceeds from sticker sales. Aleksib has pleaded not guilty to these charges.
Stickers are part of the Counter-Strike 2 item ecosystem; players can purchase them and apply them to their weapons. Such virtual items can be obtained through the Steam Community Market, the Counter-Strike 2 store, or capsules, and can also be traded on third-party websites.
Detailed report by foreign media:
Finnish Counter-Strike 2 professional player Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen faces charges of “aggravated tax fraud” for failing to declare income from in-game sticker sales, and could be sentenced to four months of probation.
In Counter-Strike 2, players can purchase virtual stickers and apply them to their weapons. These stickers are in-game items that can be bought via the Steam Market, the CS2 store, capsules, and third-party websites.
It is not uncommon for professional teams to receive a share of revenue from sticker sales and other in-game purchases when participating in major tournaments—the prosecutor alleged that Virolainen did not include this portion of income in his tax returns.
On Friday, October 16, the East Uusimaa District Court read out an indictment charging the professional player with failing to declare €53,000 (approximately $59,553.18) in income received from Valve, the developer of Counter-Strike 2, in 2020. The prosecution claimed that he thereby evaded paying approximately €28,000 (approximately $31,441) in taxes—but he stated that he was unaware that this income needed to be declared.
Virolainen admitted to not declaring this income, but stated that he was only 22 years old at the time and had no understanding of how the tax system worked. The defense insisted that he believed his taxes had been fully paid since they were deducted from his gross income, and that he did not attempt to gain any financial benefit by failing to declare this income.
According to the Finnish news outlet Iltalehti, the alleged offenses occurred between May 19, 2020, and September 22, 2020, in Vantaa, Finland. The summons indicated that the player failed to submit his pre-filled tax return for 2019 and did not declare any unpaid income from Valve.
The prosecution requested a four-month suspended sentence for Virolainen to punish his alleged criminal conduct. Virolainen has not yet been formally convicted, and the district court will issue its ruling on the case later.
A video of the professional player arriving at court quickly spread through the CS2 community, showing him seated inside the courtroom with camera flashes going off in the background. Reportedly, Virolainen pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Now 29 years old, Aleksib remains an active player for Natus Vincere. As noted by Dexerto, during the period of the alleged tax fraud, he represented ENCE at two Major tournaments, with his most notable achievement being a runner-up finish at the 2019 IEM Katowice Major.