Comedian Carlos Mencia charged with 12 felony tax counts in California
by The Washington Times AI News Desk · The Washington TimesComedian Carlos Mencia was arrested Thursday at his home in Encino, California, and charged with 12 felony counts of failure to file personal and corporate income tax returns with intent to evade tax after prosecutors alleged he failed to report $8.7 million in income over a six-year period, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced.
Six of the charges relate to $3.3 million in personal income, while the remaining six pertain to $5.4 million in corporate income tied to his company, Nedlos Entertainment, Inc. The alleged failure to file covered tax years 2019 through 2024, resulting in more than $300,000 in unpaid state taxes.
L.A. County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman, announcing the charges, said the comedian’s income is “most people can only dream of,” and that failing to report millions of dollars in income is a “slap in the face to hardworking Californians who diligently file and pay their taxes every year.”
Mr. Hochman described Mr. Mencia as “one of California’s biggest tax scofflaws” and said the comedian appears on the California Franchise Tax Board’s list of the state’s 500 largest tax delinquents in both personal and corporate income tax categories.
ABC News and Variety both reported that the California Franchise Tax Board sent Mr. Mencia 78 demand notices to his residence during the six-year period, informing him of his obligation to file returns and advising him that no returns had been received — yet no filings were made.
The case is the first filed by the DA’s newly established Business Tax Fraud Unit. Mr. Hochman said Thursday that the prosecution signals a broader shift in enforcement posture.
“Today we are sending a message to the tax scofflaws that it is no longer business as usual in Los Angeles County,” he said.
Mr. Mencia’s arraignment is scheduled for June 22 in Department 100 of the Van Nuys Courthouse. Bail has been set at $250,000.
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Mr. Mencia, whose legal name is Ned Arnel Holness, rose to prominence through his stand-up comedy career and as host of the Comedy Central series “Mind of Mencia,” which ran from 2005 to 2008. He was arrested at approximately 7:05 a.m. Thursday and remained in custody as of Thursday evening, according to the DA’s office.
In February 2007, the comedian Joe Rogan accused Mr. Mencia of plagiarizing material from fellow comedians, including George Lopez, in a confrontation at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles that was captured on video. The incident became one of the most widely discussed controversies in stand-up comedy at the time.
The CBS News Los Angeles report noted that Mr. Mencia had previously faced federal tax issues, with the IRS filing liens in 2021 against three properties he owned in Georgia over more than $1 million in unpaid federal income taxes. Mr. Hochman noted Thursday that the current state charges are separate from any potential federal obligations.
If convicted on all 12 counts, Mr. Mencia could face more than 10 years in state prison and could be ordered to repay the taxes owed along with interest and potential civil penalties. Representatives for Mr. Mencia declined to comment.
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