Comedian Carlos Mencia has been arrested and charged with 12 felony counts after prosecutors said he failed to report or pay taxes on more than $8 million in earnings.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced the charges on Thursday, calling Mencia “one of California’s biggest tax scofflaws.”
The 58-year-old stand-up comic was charged with six felony counts of failing to file personal income tax with the intent to evade taxes. Those charges cover the years 2019 through 2024.
He was also charged with six similar felony counts involving corporate taxes.
According to Hochman, Mencia owes more than $300,000 in state taxes on income totaling $8.7 million.
Mencia has not yet entered a plea. Emails sent to his attorney seeking comment were not immediately answered.
Authorities said Mencia was arrested at his Los Angeles home around 7 a.m. Thursday. He remained in custody later that afternoon and was being held on $250,000 bail.
He is expected to make his first court appearance on Monday.
If convicted on all counts, Mencia could face more than 11 years in prison. Prosecutors said he could also be ordered to pay the tax bills and interest, which could nearly double the total amount owed.
The charges are the first filed under the district attorney’s new Business Tax Fraud Unit, which Hochman established in May. Hochman is a former longtime prosecutor of tax cases.
According to the district attorney, Mencia regularly paid taxes before 2019. However, officials said he was sent 78 notices from the state about delinquent bills and did not respond.
The case currently involves state taxes only. Hochman said the IRS has not informed his office about Mencia’s federal tax status.
Mencia, whose birth name is Ned Arnel Holness, was born in Honduras and raised in East Los Angeles. He began performing stand-up in Los Angeles clubs in the late 1980s.
By the early 2000s, he had become one of the most recognizable comedians in the country. He also appeared in film and television and later hosted his own Comedy Central series, Mind of Mencia, from 2005 to 2008.
The show combined stand-up comedy with sketches and often focused on race, class, Latino culture, and social issues.
At Thursday’s news conference, Hochman pointed to a 2007 moment from Mencia’s own show, in which the comedian said, “Maybe I’m different, but I think taxes are a good thing.”
Mencia’s career later took a hit after multiple comedians accused him of stealing jokes, allegations he has long denied. In 2007, Joe Rogan confronted him onstage at a comedy club over the claims, and video of the confrontation went viral.
Mencia also spoke about the allegations during lengthy appearances on Marc Maron’s podcast, where he acknowledged he may have absorbed material from others but denied intentionally stealing jokes.
Despite the controversy, Mencia has continued performing stand-up, touring clubs and small theaters.
He was scheduled to perform a series of shows in Southern California this week and Las Vegas next week.