Comedian Carlos Mencia has entered a plea of not guilty to 12 charges of felony tax evasion. The charges accuse him of failing to report or pay taxes on over $8 million in income. At 58 years old, Mencia appeared in court, surrounded by glass, in a custody area in Los Angeles County. This arraignment took place on Monday, during which the judge decided to reduce his bail from $250,000 to $50,000. Mencia had been held since his arrest last Thursday. According to court records, he has posted bail, but his release remains unconfirmed.
Attempts to reach his attorney through email for comments have not been successful. Mencia faces accusations of six felony counts for not filing personal income tax with the goal of evading taxes. These are for each year from 2019 to 2024. Additionally, there are six similar felony counts for corporate taxes. District Attorney Nathan Hochman labeled Mencia as one of California’s major tax offenders, claiming Mencia has an outstanding state tax debt exceeding $300,000 from earnings of $8.7 million. Should Mencia be convicted on all counts, he faces a potential prison sentence exceeding 11 years.
The charges are part of the inaugural cases by the district attorney’s Business Tax Fraud Unit, launched in May by Hochman, who has extensive experience prosecuting tax-related cases.
Mencia, born Ned Arnel Holness in Honduras, grew up in East Los Angeles. He began his career in comedy in Los Angeles clubs during the late 1980s. By the early 2000s, he had become a leading figure in the comic scene in the United States and ventured into acting in films and television. His TV show, “Mind of Mencia,” aired on Comedy Central from 2005 to 2008, blending stand-up comedy with sketches.
Despite recent legal issues, Mencia continues his career in stand-up, performing in clubs and small theaters. His time in jail led to missing several scheduled performances in Southern California.
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