Carlos Mencia isn’t California’s only tax fiddle celebrity; A newly surfaced list of the state’s 500 biggest tax delinquents also names an R&B icon and a former NBA star among the high-profile names accused of carrying large tax debts.
NBA star Malik Beasley and singer Toni Braxton are members of the California Franchise Tax Board top 500 tax delinquency listwho owe monstrous unpaid sums to the state.
Beasley – who previously played for the Los Angeles Lakers and played for the Detroit Pistons last season – is listed as owing approximately $1.9 million alongside his former partner, Montana Yao. Last October, a lien was filed against the two over a zip code in Beverly Hills.
Beasley recently joined a Puerto Rican overseas team, Cangrejeros de Santurce, but was released last month.
He recently courted controversy when federal authorities announced an investigation into alleged gambling activities while he played for the Milwaukee Bucks. The NBA then announced its own investigation into him. The results of the research are still unclear.
“An investigation is not an indictment,” Beasley’s attorney, Steve Haney, told ESPN. “Malik is afforded the same right to the presumption of innocence as anyone else under the U.S. Constitution. To date, he has not been charged with anything.”
Another prominent celebrity, Braxton, also tops the list of state tax evaders.
The “Un-Break My Heart” singer owes California about $438,000 in taxes and had a lien filed in December 2018, according to the listing.
Braxton has had financial problems in recent years, including be affected by liens from federal and state authorities in 2017. She had enormous success in the 1990s, but disappeared in the new century.
She also admits to excessive spending habits, which have forced her to file for bankruptcy twice.
“I love dishes and home goods, so I lost it a little bit on the home goods front,” Braxton told “Good Morning America.” In another case, she filed for bankruptcy because she became ill after paying all her vendors for her stay in Las Vegas.
The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office called the place of Mencia Thursday in the top 500 list.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman labeled Mencia one of the “500 Biggest Tax Delinquents” after the comedian allegedly dodged $8.7 million of his assets over five years.
During a press conference in downtown LA, the district attorney claimed that Mencia was given 78 warnings after the state of California missed about $300,000 in taxes.
Six of the charges against him related to personal taxes, while the other six related to his businesses between 2019 and 2024.
If convicted, Mencia faces up to 10 years in prison. The prankster was arrested at his Encino home at 7:05 a.m. Thursday by Hochman’s new Business Tax Fraud Unit, which he created to crack down on tax crimes.
The California Post reached out to representatives for Beasley and Braxton for comment.
