Hawaiian “surf king” Sunny Garcia was sentenced Wednesday to three months in federal prison for failing to pay taxes on more than $417,000 in prize money won riding waves from Fiji to Brazil.
Garcia, whose given name is Vincent Sennen Garcia, looked gloomy as the sentence was handed down, but outside the courtroom he quickly regained the cheerful demeanor that earned him his nickname.
“I feel good, considering,” he said. “It’s a weight off my shoulders.”
The six-time winner of surfing’s Triple Crown pulled in more than $1 million in prize money during his five years on the professional tour.
U.S. District Court Judge Thomas J. Whelan gave Garcia until mid-January to report to the Bureau of Prisons to allow him to honor a commitment to a sponsor.
Whelan also ordered Garcia, who lives in Newport Beach, to spend seven months in home confinement after his release and perform 80 hours of community service. The judge gave him six months to pay fees and penalties to the IRS.
Garcia apologized to the court, and said outside the courtroom that he had been overwhelmed by the amount of money he made surfing.
“I didn’t surf because I thought I was going to make money at it,” he said. “But coming from a poor family, you want to buy everything you never had. I spent my money foolishly.”
The 36-year-old surfer rose from a hardscrabble childhood in Oahu to the top of the sport, dropping out of high school to compete full-time in 1986. He retired in 2005, saying that he wanted to spend more time with his family after 20 years chasing waves around the world. On Wednesday he said he intends to compete in next year’s Triple Crown competition and is considering a return to the pro circuit.
“I want to go out having fun instead of with this on me,” he said.