Comedian Carlos Mencia Arrested on Tax Evasion Charges

Comedian Carlos Mencia was arrested Thursday morning at his home in Encino, California, and charged with 12 felony counts of state tax evasion, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced. The charges stem from Mencia's alleged failure to report $8.7 million in personal and corporate income between 2019 and 2024.

Mencia, 58, whose legal name is Ned Arnel Holness, faces six counts of failure to file personal income tax and six counts of failure to file corporate income tax, all with intent to evade tax. Prosecutors allege the unreported income resulted in more than $300,000 owed to the state. He was taken into custody around 7 a.m. and remains held on $250,000 bail, with an arraignment scheduled for Monday at the Van Nuys Courthouse.

District Attorney Hochman, announcing the charges at an afternoon news conference, described Mencia as "one of California's biggest tax scofflaws." He said the California Franchise Tax Board mailed 78 demand notices to Mencia's residence during the five-year period, informing him of his obligation to file returns. "Mr. Mencia has an income most people can only dream of, and like everyone else he is required to file his personal and...