Comedian Carlos Mencia arrested for tax evasion

Carlos Mencia, a comedian who starred in the Comedy Central series “Mind of Mencia,” was arrested in Los Angeles for tax evasion and charged with failing to report $8.7 million in personal and corporate income between 2019 and 2024 and owing over $300,000 to the State of California.

Processing Content

The 58-year-old comedian, whose birth name is Ned Arnel Holness, allegedly failed to file any tax returns for those years and was charged with 12 felony counts of tax evasion: six felony counts of failure to file state personal income tax with the intent to evade tax and six felony counts of failure to file state corporate income tax with the intent to evade tax. He allegedly owes taxes on approximately $3.3 million in personal income and approximately $5.4 million in corporate income for his company Nedlos Entertainment Inc. Mencia is the CEO and owner of Nedlos.

According to prosecutors, the California Franchise Tax Board mailed Mencia 78 demand notices to his home over the years, warning him of his obligation to file tax returns and advising him that no returns had been received.

“Mr. Mencia has an income most people can only dream of, and like everyone else he is required to file his personal and corporate tax returns and pay his fair share,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement last Thursday. “Failing to report millions of dollars in income is a slap in the face to hardworking Californians who diligently file and pay their taxes every year because they care about their communities and the public goods, like police, fire, roads and utilities, their tax dollars provide. Today we are sending a message to the tax scofflaws that it is no longer business as usual in Los Angeles County — the days of a free pass for failing to file returns and pay taxes are over.”

If convicted, Mencia faces up to 11 years and four months in state prison. Arraignment is scheduled for June 22. He was arrested last Thursday and reportedly remains in custody. The court set bail at $250,000.

The comedian’s lawyers blasted the arrest and jailing of the comedian in a court filing, calling in a publicity stunt.

“No one argues against the obligation to pay taxes,” according to a motion obtained by The California Post. “But the raid at his home with multiple law enforcement agents, screaming ‘search warrant’ with a bullhorn, and drawing guns was an absurd show of force for the alleged offenses that do not involve weapons, drugs or violence.”

Mencia has seen his share of controversy, having been accused of stealing other comedians’ jokes and reportedly admitted in a 2010 podcast to unintentionally absorbing other comics’ material, according to the Associated Press. His “Mind of Mencia” series ran on Comedy Central from 2005 through 2008, and he has since performed regularly on the comedy circuit. He was born in Honduras and grew up in East Los Angeles.