Hanlon’s razor states “never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.” Meaning […]
Tag: Celebrities with Tax Trouble
A Friendly Notice for Celebrities: Your Accountant Is Not Your Mother
Fresh off Rihanna's massive settlement from her former accountant Peter Gounis and his firm Berdon […]
Let’s Give Courtney Love Credit for Being Tax Compliant in 2008 and 2010, You Guys
In point of fact, I do not know if Ms. Love is in compliance in […]
Lauryn Hill Could Use a Hand Here
Actually, Judge Madeline Cox Arleo knows that Ms. Hill is a person with "substantial assets" […]
Lauryn Hill Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion, Her Lawyer Blames Her Celebrity For the Circus
When was the last time we heard a celebrity in tax trouble complain that the […]
FYI: Going Off the Grid for Your Personal Safety Does Not Constitute a Legitimate Reason for Not Paying Taxes
Last week, we learned that musician Lauryn Hill was a little behind on her taxes. […]
Is It Impossible for a Dancing With the Stars Champion to Get A Decent CPA?
I only ask because Kelly Monaco could use one. Robert Snell reports that she owes about $68k to Feds which is odd considering she beat the likes of Evander Holyfield, J. Peterman, and Joey from New Kids on the Block. Can’t someone help the girl out? And not with the tango. [TW]
Ja Rule Wouldn’t Be in This Mess If He Had a Decent Accountant
Let’s be honest though, “decent” is probably pushing it. A “below average” accountant could have slapped some numbers on a 1040 and hit the button.
Ja got twenty-eight months for failing to file income tax returns and claims that “[I]n no way attempted to deceive the government or do anything illegal,” he said. “I didn’t know how to deal with these finances, and I didn’t have people to guide me, so I made mistakes.” Anyone near Oneida that’s looking for a new client should feel free to drop by the correctional facility to make a pitch. [HP]
When It Rains, It Pours: R. Kelly Hit with Tax Lien
If you’ve been poking around the web the last couple of days, you probably heard that R&B singer R. Kelly is in danger of getting thrown out of his house. It’s an unfortunate turn of events for RK who stopped paying his mortgage payments trying to strongarm JP Morgan into modifying his loan.
Unfortunately for R., it appears he also has blown off the IRS. Delinquent celebrity taxpayer scoop artist Robert Snell reports:
Music industry bad boy R. Kelly has more than foreclosure to worry about. Kelly, the controversial R&B star owes more than $837,000 in delinquent federal taxes, records show.
Snell reports that the IRS released a $1 million lien just last month against RK, so it’s unclear if this little oversight is the result of his JPM negotiating strategy or he’s still getting caught up on things.
R. Kelly believes he can fly — from tax bill [Tax Watchdog]
Supreme Court Has Better Things to Do Than Listen to Wesley Snipes’ Appeal
The Nine are not easily starstruck.
And there is no celebrity high court that we are aware of, so this could be the last time we ever have to speak of this again. [TaxProf]
Marlee Matlin Can Add ‘Constitutionally Challenged’ to Her List of Disabilities
Academy-Award winning actress Marlee Matlin admits to People mag that she owes $50,000 to the IRS and isn’t at all embarrassed by this fact. ”I’m paying it back. I’m not shying away from it and I’m certainly not ashamed of it,” Matlin told the magazine. “It doesn’t mean I’m a bad person. It’s reality. It’s the reality that a lot of people in America are facing.” You tell ’em, girl!
The Celebrity Apprentice “star” (we use that term loosely, not being a huge fan of D-lister reality shows featuring hot messes such as Gary Busey and Lil’ Jon) tells People celebrity isn’t all it’s cracked up to be and, in fact, it’s her four kids and modest middle class life in the ‘burbs that is to blame. “Living modestly in a suburban neighborhood while trying to support four children through private school is not extravagant or living large,” Matlin said. “My husband is a Los Angeles area police officer and between the two of us we have always made ends meet in the past — and we will in this circumstance as well.”
To adjust to their new life as (probably accidental) tax protesters, the Matlin clan plans to make some important financial adjustments, like putting their poor children into public school. “At the end of the day, it’s about the best interests of the children,” she said. “Transitioning out of a private school environment will certainly relieve some of the financial pressures but hopefully this will not compromise the kids.”
Yes, hopefully it will not. Let the record reflect AG is a product of public school and we all know how horribly I turned out; someone pray for those kids.
Despite these hardships, Matlin seems upbeat and not at all worried about what this means for her reputation (let’s hope the IRS didn’t put her in the non-TIGTA-friendly “Tax Terrorist” category). “I’m not broke. Like everybody else, I owe money. My family is healthy and happy.”
Sharon Osbourne Clarifies Latest Tax Problem in Most Sharon Osbourne Way Possible
Via Twitter, natch.
[via @MrsSOsbourne]