los angeles — Comedian Carlos Mencia has been charged with 12 tax charges, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced Thursday.
Prosecutors allege that Mencia failed to file personal and corporate tax returns over a six-year period and underreported income amounting to about $8.7 million, resulting in more than $300,000 in unpaid state taxes.
This case is the first brought by the Attorney General’s newly launched Commercial Tax Fraud Unit.
In February 2007, comedian-turned-podcaster Joe Rogan accused Mencia of plagiarism on stage at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles in a confrontation that was captured on video.
Comedian Carlos Mencia performs during Tr3s: MTV, Musica y Mas Upfront on Wednesday, May 19, 2010 in New York.
Jason DeCrow/AP Images for Tr3s: MTV, Musica y Mas
Rogan mocked him as “Carlos Mencia”, claiming that Mencia stole material from fellow comedians including George Lopez, Ari Shaffer and Bobby Lee. Mencia then took the stage, confronted Rogan, and defended himself against the accusations.
However, following the incident, Mencia’s Comedy Central series “Mind of Mencia” ended in 2008 after running for four years.
According to his IMDB page, Mencia later appeared in the 2010 film Our Family Wedding, the 2012 TV series La Chamba, and the 2011 comedy special Carlos Mencia: New Territory.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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