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Carlos Mencía faces 11 years, if convicted
Comedian Carlos Mencía has been charged with 12 felony counts of state tax evasion after prosecutors say he failed to report $8.7 million in personal and corporate income over six years.
LOS ANGELES - 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.
Mencia appeared behind glass in a custody area of a Los Angeles County court at his arraignment on Monday.
Carlos Mencina pleads not guilty to 12 charges
Big picture view:
The 58-year-old was charged with six felony counts of failure to file personal income tax with the intent to evade taxes — one each for the years 2019 to 2024 — and six similar counts for corporate taxes.
A judge also reduced his bail from $250,000 to $50,000.
Comedian Carlos Mencia performs at The Ice House Comedy Club on April 25, 2025 in Pasadena, California. (Credit: Michael S. Schwartz/Getty Images for ABA)
Court documents show that he posted bail, but it's not clear whether he has been released.
Mencia arrested, accused of failing to file California tax returns
The backstory:
Mencia was arrested last week and was accused of failing to file California tax returns.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said the case is the first major prosecution brought by his office’s new Business Tax Fraud Unit, a specialized team created to investigate and prosecute businesses and owners accused of criminal tax violations.
"In total, the amount of corporate and personal income that he has failed to report over the six years from 2019 through 2024, as alleged in the charges, is $8.7 million," Hochman said.
Prosecutors said Mencia owed more than $300,000 in state taxes. Hochman said the California Franchise Tax Board sent Mencia 78 notices telling him he had failed to file returns.
"Yet he was 0 for 78," Hochman said.
RELATED: Comedian Carlos Mencia charged with 12 felony tax evasion in 1st case for new LA tax fraud unit
The district attorney said the new unit is designed to target people and businesses accused of using trusts, limited liability companies and out-of-state entities to hide income or avoid paying taxes. The unit will work with the California Franchise Tax Board, the Employment Development Department and, when needed, the IRS.
Hochman said the office is not targeting every business that falls behind on taxes, but those accused of intentionally violating state tax laws.
"We’re going to go after that unfair advantage by bringing criminal prosecutions against people who violate our state tax laws," Hochman said.
What's next:
If convicted as charged, prosecutors said he could face up to 11 years and four months in state prison.
Big picture view:
Born Ned Arnel Holness in Honduras and raised in East Los Angeles, Mencia began doing stand-up in LA clubs in the late 1980s. By the early 2000s, he became one of the most popular comics in the U.S. and also did some acting in film and television.
He had his own TV series, "Mind of Mencia," combining stand-up with sketches on Comedy Central from 2005 to 2008.
Mencia still does regular stand-up shows, touring clubs and small theaters.
The Source: This story was reported from Los Angeles. The Associated Press, FOX 11 Los Angeles contributed.