Everyone pays taxes, even the rich and famous have to pay their dues.
DMX, rapper, record producer and actor had to learn that the hard way as he pleads guilty on 14 charges of tax fraud, according to the New York Daily News. He is fighting the charges and appeared hopeful as he thanked his fans outside the courthouse. The rapper thanked them for their support as he stood alongside his lawyer. He also noted that he wrote rhymes while spending Thursday night in jail.
The Yonkers, N.Y., MC was was arrested on Thursday and charged with tax fraud. He was accused of “engaging in a multi-year scheme to conceal” $1.7 million in tax liabilities from the Internal Revenue Service.
“While raking in millions from his songs, including his 2003 hit ‘X Gon’ Give it to Ya,’ DMX didn’t give any of it to the IRS,” Acting U.S. Attorney for New York, Joon H. Kim said in a statement. “Celebrity rapper or not, all Americans must pay their taxes,”
DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, appeared before a judge Friday and pleaded not guilty to the charges. He was released on $500,000 bond after spending the night in jail. In addition to the 14 counts of tax evasion, the rapper is also facing charges of failure to file a tax return and corruptly trying to obstruct and impede the administration of IRS laws.
The Department of Justice, in a recent press release, outlined the measures that DMX took to withhold taxes on the $2.3 million that the rapper supposedly earned between 2010 and 2015. One of the examples given was when DMX allegedly refused to tape an episode of Celebrity Couples Therapy “until a properly issued check he was issued was reissued without withholding any taxes. DMX also didn’t file tax returns during that time frame.
In a statement by IRS-CI Special Agent in Change James D. Robnett said that, “While most individuals file truthful tax returns and pay their taxes, the indictment against Mr. Simmons alleges various tax crimes, including that he failed to file personal tax returns for several years and did not pay his fair share of taxes.” He continued by saying, “IRS-Criminal Investigation will continue to focus our investigative efforts on those who try to conceal their income in order to evade their taxes.”
This isn’t the first time that the rapper has been confronted with the law. Back in 2015, DMX was sentenced to six months in prison for failing to pay child support, although technically, he only spent two months behind bars. If found guilty of the tax evasion charges, he could be facing 40 years in prison.
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