11 Celebrities Who Owe Millions in Back Taxes

Mary J. Blige The state of New Jersey imposed a tax lien of $901,769.65 on soul diva Mary J. Blige in 2013. In addition to her tax woes, Mary was already in default for more than $2 million dollars in bank loans. Dionne Warwick Singer Dionne Warwick had a $2.2 million federal tax lien filed against her in 2009 for unpaid taxes from the 1990s, but the IRS revoked it when there appeared to be an accounting mistake. However, Warwick still owed the government just under $1 million. Sinbad In 2009, comedian and actor Sinbad reportedly owed the IRS more than $8 million in unpaid taxes. The performer, whose real name is David Adkins, filed tax returns between 1998 and 2006, but failed to pay the taxes he reported. The U.S. Attorney General asked for $8.2 million plus interest and statutory additions, along with lien fees and collection costs, as well as an order to foreclose on the federal tax liens against the property and order a sale of the property. R. Kelly Documents filed in Illinois indicate that R & B singer R. Kelly owes the IRS $1.4 million in unpaid taxes for 2011. Kelly already owed $4.8 million in unpaid taxes for the years 2005 to 2010. That brings his total to a $6.2 million. A representative for R. Kelly said: "He takes this very seriously and is already communicating with the IRS about the payment process to quickly resolve the issue." Chris Tucker In 2012, Actor/Comedian Chris Tucker owed the IRS $12 million in back taxes. In 2013, Christ Tucker sold his Los Angeles mansion in order to make is his first payment of nearly $1,000,000 to the Internal Revenue Service. In addition to his federal debt, Chris Tucker also owes the state of Georgia $590,000 in unpaid taxes. Due to his outstanding debt, the "Rush Hour" star's net worth has plummeted into the red. Lionel Richie In 2010, Singer Lionel Richie had a $1.1 million debt for back taxes to the Internal Revenue Service. In addition, the federal government placed a lien on Lionel Richie's assets. M.C. Hammer According to the IRS, 1990's Rapper, M.C. Hammer (real name Stanley Burrell), owes a total of $798,033.48 in unpaid back taxes from 1996 and 1997 earnings. However, in April 1996, Stanley Burrell and his wife Stephanie Darlene, filed for Chapter 11 in federal bankruptcy court in Oakland, Ca which should have protected him from additional charges. M.C. Hammer is presently in the process of filing an appeal to fight the charges made by the Internal Revenue Service. Lil Kim Rapper Lil Kim, whose real name is Kimberly Denise Jones, has amassed $1 million dollars in tax debt according to the IRS in 2012. According to TMZ, court documents indicate that Lil Kim owed money every year from 2002-2009. DMX Rapper/Actor DMX (whose real name is Earl Simmons) owed the IRS and the state of New York for unpaid taxes dating to 2002. By the year 2009, DMX owed the government $1.5 million and filed for bankruptcy protection. Lauryn Hill Rapper/Singer Lauryn Hill pleaded guilty last year to not paying taxes on $1.8 million earned from 2005 to 2007 in 2012. In July 2013, Lauryn Hill reported to jail to serve three months for tax evasion. Confirmed reports state that Ms. Hill paid more than $970,000 to satisfy state and federal tax liabilities. Recently, it was rumored that Lauryn Hill owed the IRS an additional $867,000 in taxes. Lauryn Hill denies this allegation. Her attorney, Kathryn Frazier, made a written statement on behalf of Ms. Hill confirming that there are no additional charges against her client: "Ms. Hill has finished her sentence, has been fulfilling her agreement with the IRS, and is taking care of all outstanding matters in regards to this situation. She is not in jeopardy of any further charges." Nas Rapper Nas owed the government more than $6 million in back taxes, according to the Detroit News’ Tax Watchdog blog. The IRS filed liens in 2009 and 2010 on his Eagle’s Landing home in Atlanta.

Dionne Warwick

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