California comedian Carlos Mencia was torn apart by Los Angeles’ district attorney on Thursday as he announced 12 felony counts against him.
Nathan Hochman branded him one of the “500 greatest tax delinquents” after he allegedly dodged filings for $8.7 million of his wealth over five years.
Speaking at a press conference in downtown LA, the DA claimed Mencia was handed 78 warning notices after the state of California missed out on about $300,000 in taxes.
California comedian Carlos Mencia was torn apart by the LA DA as he announced 12 felony counts against him. Getty Images for ABA
Nathan Hochman branded Mencia one of the “500 greatest tax delinquents” after he allegedly dodged millions in filings. Katie Avery
Six of the counts against him were related to person taxes, with the other six associated with his businesses between 2019 and 2024.
If convicted, Mencia faces up to 10 years in prison. The joker was arrested at his home in Encino at 7.05am Thursday by Hochman’s new Business Tax Fraud Unit he created to target tax crimes.
Hochman said Thursday Mencia “thought maybe taxes were a laughing matter.” He continued: “We will go after for people who chose to take an unfair advantage.
“Following the money is an artform. Al Capone was taken down by a tax case. We will use the tax laws appropriately. Loud and clear, the business tax fraud unit is up and running.”
Mencia and his wife Amy pose on the red carpet in LA in 2007. WireImage
Hochman explained how he used to work in the tax dept in Department of Justice and when he became DA saw the city was not doing many tax cases.
He added: “It’s in the million and millions and millions of dollars each year. We ask anyone in LA county to come forward with information.”
The case marks the debut prosecution for the Business Tax Fraud Unit, which focuses on complex financial crimes involving business tax evasion, payroll tax fraud, falsified business records and underground economy schemes.
While Mencia’s wife apparently hasn’t been implicated, six of the counts against him were related to person taxes. Getty Images
The unit was created to pursue cases involving alleged theft of taxpayer funds and sophisticated tax fraud operations.
Mencia, born Ned Arnel Holness in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, immigrated to the US as an infant and was raised in East Los Angeles.
He became one of the biggest names in stand-up comedy in the mid-2000s, though his career was later overshadowed by accusations from fellow comedians that he stole jokes — allegations he has repeatedly denied.
He has had a troubled history of claims of plagiarism that peaked when Joe Rogan confronted him on stage for allegedly stealing jokes in 2007.
Rogan said at the time: “If someone steals a riff from a song, that sht’s in the news constantly. Motherf*er steals sht and makes it on HBO. They steal sh*t, and they put it on television.”
One joke Mencia was accused of stealing was a Shaffir bit where he joked about how then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger wanted to build a wall between California and Mexico. Shaffir asked the governor who he thinks is going to build the wall.
Mencia had a very similar joke, with the same punchline, asking who was going to build the wall.
He’s maintained that he’s done nothing wrong.
To add to Mencia’s tax woes, he’s had a history of plagiarism claims including when Joe Rogan confronted him in 2007. Youtube/Abba Zabba
South Park even parodied the scandal, showing Mencia take credit for a joke that wasn’t his on a fictional Conan O’Brien television spot.
Mencia also faced financial issues in recent years. The IRS put liens on several properties Mencia owned in Douglas County in Oregon for several years of unpaid federal income taxes totaling about $1.2 million.
One of the properties was a 7,189 square-foot home with eight bedrooms and seven baths valued at $1.5 million. Mencia purchased his house in Encino in 2008 for close to its asking price of $4.4 million.
“South Park” parodied the scandal, showing Mencia take credit for a joke that wasn’t his on a Conan O’Brien TV spot. Comedy Central
The property, a walled and gated Mediterranean-style home, has six bedrooms and eight bathrooms across 8,500 square feet. He even had a garage large enough to fit six cars.
He also admitted to committing devious crimes in his teen years. In a 2006 NPR interview, he said he was a drug dealer when he was 19 and robbed someone’s house after they didn’t pay cash they owed.
“Somebody owed me money, so this is how stupid I was. I called him up, and I said, ‘I’m coming to your house.
“If you don’t have my money you better not be there.’ And when I got there the person wasn’t there,” he said.
“I broke into their house, took video equipment, all kinds of stuff, so that I could sell it to make my money back.
“And on the way home I realized, what did I just break into somebody’s house? My God! What is wrong with me?”
After Thursday’s arrest, Mencia was remanded in custody and had bail set at $250,000.
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