DMX Faces 40 Years for Alleged Tax Evasion

He hid millions from 2010 to 2015, say prosecutors
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 14, 2017 7:43 AM CDT
DMX Faces 40 Years for Alleged Tax Evasion
DMX arrives at the 2009 VH1 Hip Hop Honors at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, in New York.   (AP Photo/Peter Kramer, File)

Legal trouble is nothing new for DMX—but paying taxes allegedly is, which is why he's back in police custody. The rapper surrendered to law enforcement in Manhattan on Thursday to face allegations that he owes $1.7 million to the IRS after "engaging in a multi-year scheme to conceal millions of dollars of income." The US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York claims DMX made more than $2.3 million between 2010 and 2015 but filed no personal income tax returns. Prosecutors say DMX listed his income as "unknown" in 2011 and 2012 but actually made $353,000 and $542,000, respectively, per TMZ, which quotes the indictment. He pulled in $250,000 in 2013, but declared only $10,000.

As Acting US Attorney Joon H. Kim puts it: "While raking in millions from his songs, including his 2003 hit ‘X Gon’ Give it to Ya,’ DMX didn’t give any of it to the IRS." DMX, who is charged with 14 counts of tax evasion, "allegedly went out of his way to evade taxes, including by avoiding personal bank accounts, setting up accounts in other’s names and paying personal expenses largely in cash," Kim says in a statement. The indictment notes DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, even returned the initial check he received for appearing on Celebrity Couples Therapy so it could be replaced with one that hadn't withheld the proper taxes. The 46-year-old, who has yet to comment publicly, could face more than 40 years in prison, reports Vulture. He's scheduled to appear in court on Friday, per MarketWatch. (More tax evasion stories.)

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