Comedian Carlos Mencia pleaded not guilty to 12 felony charges of failing to pay taxes on over $8 million in earnings. He faces over 11 years in prison if convicted.
The case highlights the increasing focus on tax fraud by public officials and could lead to a significant prison sentence for the well-known comedian if he is convicted.
Comedian Carlos Mencia has pleaded not guilty to 12 felony charges alleging he failed to report or pay taxes on more than $8 million in earnings. The 58-year-old appeared in a Los Angeles County court for his arraignment, where a judge reduced his bail from $250,000 to $50,000. Mencia had been in jail since his arrest on Thursday.
Court documents indicate he was charged with six felony counts of failure to file personal income tax with the intent to evade taxes for the years 2019 to 2024, and six similar counts for corporate taxes. District Attorney Nathan Hochman stated that Mencia owes more than $300,000 in state taxes on income totaling $8.7 million. If convicted of all counts, Mencia could face over 11 years in prison.
These charges mark the first filed under the district attorney’s new Business Tax Fraud Unit, established in May. Mencia, born Ned Arnel Holness, began his stand-up career in the late 1980s and rose to popularity in the early 2000s, hosting the Comedy Central series “Mind of Mencia” from 2005 to 2008. He continues to perform stand-up shows.