A former "Jersey Shore" star and his brother have pleaded not guilty to federal tax charges.

Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino and his brother Marc were charged in a seven-count indictment released Wednesday by the U.S. attorney's office.

They're alleged to have failed to pay required taxes on nearly $9 million earned between 2010 and 2012, mainly through two businesses they owned between. The counts range from conspiracy to defraud the United States, which carries a five-year maximum prison sentence, to false filing and failure to file.

The brothers appeared in court Wednesday in Newark and are each free on $250,000 bail. They're next scheduled for an arraignment on Oct. 6.

When asked after the brief hearing if he was innocent, Mike Sorrentino replied, "Of course."