Carlos Mencia Pleads Not Guilty to Tax Charges

Comedian Carlos Mencia has reportedly entered a not guilty plea against 12 felony charges related to over $8 million of unreported income in California.

Mencia, who has been in jail since his arrest on June 18, appeared via video during his arraignment on Monday from a Los Angeles County court. He is facing six felony counts for failing to file personal income tax returns with the intent to evade taxes—each count corresponding to a tax year from 2019 through 2024. Additionally, he faces six counts related to corporate taxes.

District Attorney Nathan Hochman claimed that Mencia is “one of California’s biggest tax scofflaws,” asserting that he owes more than $300,000 in state taxes on earnings totaling $8.7 million.

Hochman, who previously worked on tax prosecutions, has established a new Business Tax Fraud Unit within the district attorney’s office. According to reports, these charges are among the first filed by this new unit. If convicted on all counts, Mencia could face over 11 years in prison. The prosecution indicated that California’s Franchise Tax Board had issued Mencia 78 notices before deciding to take legal action, as noted by Forbes.

The judge has lowered Mencia’s bail from $250,000 to $50,000. Court documents reveal that he has posted bail since the date of his arraignment, although it’s unclear if he has been released as of Monday.

Mencia is well-known in the stand-up comedy world, and he also has various television and film credits. He starred in his own series, “Mind of Mencia,” on Comedy Central from 2005 to 2008.

Due to his situation, he has had to cancel several performances while in custody.