Former comedian Carlos Mencia faces tax‑payment penalties after six‑year delinquency.
Comedian Carlos Mencia was arrested Thursday morning in Encino, California, after the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office filed 12 tax‑evasion charges. The indictment alleges that Mencia failed to report income at both personal and business levels from 2019 to 2024, with unreported amounts totaling roughly $8.7 million. Business income from his company, Nedlos Entertainment, is said to comprise about $5.4 million of the missing tax base, according to the DA.
The District Attorney, Nathan Hochman, stated that the unpaid state taxes exceed $300,000 and that Federal tax violations may also exist. The office said Mencia was served payment notices 78 times before the arrest. Bail was set at $250,000.
Mencia was taken into custody at approximately 7 a.m. and is now held on the charges pending further court proceedings. If convicted on all counts, he faces a maximum sentence of more than ten years in state prison, in addition to restitution and penalties.
The case marks the first tax‑related investigation by the Business Tax Fraud Unit, a new division of Hochman’s office focused on white‑collar offenses. The Los Angeles DA’s office has said it will cooperate with the Internal Revenue Service to pursue any additional federal tax claims.