Tag: Tax Liens

It’s About Time a Race Car Driver with a Drug Problem Got in Trouble with IRS

Among the celebrity/athlete tax delinquents we get a decent variety – hip–hop artists, topless girl magnates/douches of the decade, juiced-up baseball players, washed-up actors, people stupid enough to have their picture taken in a Nazi visor and doing the “sieg heil.” It’s a potpourri.

Well, today we’re happy (not literally happy, tax delinquency is not a laughing matter) to report that tax troubles have now found their way into new area of the celebrity culture: race car drivers. And not just any race car driver, one that is rumored to have used meth! Lots of it!


We’re not too familiar with Jeremy Mayfield’s problems but after a quick glance at one article we’ve learned that A) he’s not crazy about NASCAR leadership B) dude has done a fair amount of crank in his day C) he’s not a fan of his “whore” stepmom who, he says, killed his Dad.

Between the work trouble, drug trouble and family trouble J May’s brain has to be mush; of course he’s going to forget to pay $300,000 in taxes. This is no different than the Snoop Dogg tax situation. Sure the drugs are different but the principle is the same. The guy just needs a solid CPA to take care of these things for him, preferably one that isn’t easily sketched out and can handle paranoid junkie types with money to throw around (assuming there’s money left).

Mayfield Has A Bigger Foe Than NASCAR: The IRS [SpeedTV]

Fans Help Thomas Hearns Pay Tax Debt By Purchasing Decades-Old, Sweat-Encrusted Items

Thomas Hearns has no doubt seen the embarrassment that some of his fellow celebrity/athletes have suffered as the result of their tax scofflaw ways and decided that he would only suffer minor embarrassment. Hearns made over $40 million during his career but managed to owe back taxes of $448k, not to mention over $500k in overdue mortgage payments.

Rather than drag the proceedings on further, Hearns decided to get proactive on this little obligation and decided to hold an auction of memorabilia and other personal items to satisfy his debt. And since the bulk of Hearns’ career existed when boxing was still somewhat legitimate, these particular items probably still had some semblance of value to collectors/hoarders of random shit.


Items sold included a robe from a bout with Sugar Ray Leonard for $1,100, to trunks, gloves, headgear, ATVs, boat, ’57 Chevy. Pretty much anything that touched Hearns body that had ever been stained by sweat, blood, and any other bodily secretions (and those of his opponents) were auctioned off to satisfy the debt.

Hearns admitted to the Detroit Free Press that this all seems a little ridiculous considering the money he made, “I made a lot of money in boxing. But as a man who had a large family, people looked at you as their savior. You tried to help them by giving. It doesn’t stop. I’m the big brother — I give and I give.”

Ahhh, yes. The free-loading relatives. The types that don’t pay you back for that grip you loaned them for a [insert luxury vehicle of choice]. Should have known. Luckily, true fans of the boxer are more than eager to own funky jock straps to help out the champ.

Thomas Hearns, at auction, rolls with punches [Detroit Free Press]
Boxing legend Thomas Hearns risks losing home [Tax Watchdog]

A Tax Lien Is a Much More Manageable Problem Than Say, Apologizing to Your Oscar Winning Wife

Since Jesse James’ tax lien is relatively small — $3,918 — you can probably chalk this up to a mistake. However, since the taxes are related to 2007, could it be that it was an oversight? A mistake? Poor judgment?

Poor judgment akin to say, inviting a tattoo model/stripper/rumored white supremacist into your bike shop to cheat on your wife? Is that sort of the same thing?

Tax debt adds to sex scandal for Sandra Bullock beau [Tax Watchdog]

Ludacris Should Be Giving Ving Rhames Tax Advice

In today’s celebrity tax scofflaw du jour, we learn that Ving “Why do people always have to bring up that scene in Pulp Fiction” Rhames owes the IRS over $800k from two liens, both filed by the IRS in Los Angeles.

Rhames has had trubs in the past, having liens filed against him last May as well.

It seems to that California, being in the fiscal trouble that’s it in, really needs to call on its other celebrity residents to hold some sort of Haiti-esque fundraiser for some of their fellow celebs.


Sure, it might not fix all the state’s budget problems but at least we could admire our celebrities for being financially responsible pillars of the community rather than pillars of the community when there’s an international crisis. Plus, maybe California wouldn’t have to fire more teachers.

In semi-related news, you will never, ever, EVER hear about Ludacris owing the IRS a damn thing. Not now, not ever.

“I pay more in taxes than most people would ever imagine. I guarantee you, I’m looking dead in the camera, you will never hear about Ludacris owing the damn IRS no damn money.”

Okay, financial celebrities f-ups, get on the horn and find out what the great financial mind-cum-rapper/actor of Ludacris has in store for you. Things haven’t worked out so far, so it can’t hurt to see what the man has to say.

Ving Rhames far from OK with Uncle Sam [Tax Watchdog]

Suge Knight Really Needs a 2Pac Comeback to Get Him Out of This Tax Lien

Suge Knight may be the heir apparent to Nicolas Cage for the King of celebrity tax trouble. There have been several minor liens thrown in here and there and Nas’ $3+ million tax lien was certainly impressive but Suge’s looks like a solid leader for the crown right now.

We should note that for the purposes of celebrity tax issues, Joe Francis does not qualify since he’s technically a “douche” and not a “celebrity”. Also, since the $33 million-ish lien just up and disappeared (we’re assuming that Lucifer is somehow involved) he’s off the hook.

Anyhoo, so being tardy on taxes seems to be a common occurrence but Suge seems to be going for the tardiest of the tardy. He has managed to avoid paying a tax lien, originally filed in 2003, for his 1996 tax return. TMZ is reporting that the lien was re-filed in January and that he owes $6,578,696.31.


TMZ is also reporting that in child support papers filed by Suge’s baby mama, it was revealed that his net income is only $1,207 so paying this lien is going to need some kind of resurrected 2Pac comeback somethingorother.

The blog Baller Status also reports that last month “several personal items he had tucked away in storage were auctioned off to the highest bidder after he failed to pay the storage fees. Belongings such as furniture, TVs, and even a large photo of himself with the late Tupac Shakur were sold.”

So whenever you’re feeling a little down about your own dire personal financial situation or think about your crappy pay, just remember that you could be Suge Knight.

Suge Knight — Old School Tax Lien [TMZ]

Nas Slowly Approaching Nicolas Cage Tax Trouble Levels

Actually he has quite a ways to go to get to the nearly $14 million that NC agreed to pay the IRS and isn’t even close to the $33 million that “Douche of the Decade” Joe Francis owed (that has now been dropped we should add) but a $3 million tax lien is nothing to sneeze at.


On the other tax deadbeat hand, Nas easily eclipsed other recent tax scofflaws including Snoop Dogg’s lien of $600k, Jose Canseco’s $320k and Eve’s $357k. But actually, it’s not really that hard considering, “sources say Nas doesn’t have a clue he’s going under financially…He was at Sundance recently and raked in $50,000 for a performance, which, we’re told, he blew before he blew out of Sundance.”

Presumably the IRS won’t let it get too much further out of hand. After planes and bulldozers, we’re thinking they’ll stay on the offensive with regards to resistance.

Reality to Nas — ‘Memba Me? [TMZ]
Recent Celebrity Tax Scofflaws:
Tax Deadbeat of the Day: Jose Canseco
Why Snoop Dogg’s Latest Tax Problem Isn’t a Surprise
The IRS Wants a Piece of Eve
Joe Francis Continues to Get Hassled by the IRS
Nicolas Cage’s Catastrophic Financial Situation May be Coming to End

Tax Deadbeat of the Day: Jose Canseco

Try to make sense of this: J Can made $45 million playing baseball, “wrote” two books that essentially ruined the juicing party in MLB, has been on countless reality shows, tried his hand at mixed martial arts and he can’t scrape together $320,000 for the IRS and the state of California?

Okay, can’t undo what’s done and unfortunately, Canseco has limited options. He can’t really call McGwire, Bonds, A-Rod, Jason Giambi for a loan. That’s just awkward, plus he doesn’t strike us as the type of guy who would pay you back if he could.


If the MMA doesn’t work out, then we’re thinking he’s still got plenty of options:

• Working outside an Abercrombie & Fitch

• Bouncer on a porn movie set

• KPMG Chairman

• Jersey Shore cameos

Other possibilities? Sure they’d have to garnish his wages but dude needs to get the ball rolling.

Slugger Jose Canseco strikes out with tax agencies [Tax Watchdog]

Why Snoop Dogg’s Latest Tax Problem Isn’t a Surprise

Seriously. Does anyone think that Snoop Dogg forgetting about his taxes is that much of a stretch? He’s got to have the money; the Starsky & Hutch royalties alone should be able to settle the $598-odd thousand lien that the IRS slapped on him.

So the only plausible explanation is that he forget to pay the taxes. He’s got the regular day-to-day celebrity issue that Nicolas Cage or Eve may have but come on people. His daily ritual consists of choosing between White Widow, Hollands Hope or Northern Lights (or whatever strain he wants, really); has it occurred to anyone that it may have slipped his mind?

D-O-Double G got hit with a lien last year too so isn’t this the kind of tax compliance we’ve come to expect anyway? It’s basically like you scrounging around for your keys every morning. It’s the routine.

Yes, we suppose that he could hire a CPA to take care of his business affairs but we’re guessing that may have escaped the mental to-do list too. NBD, really. See you next year Snoop.

Today in IRS Resistance: Ohio Man Bulldozes His Own House

What’s the saying about trends? We can’t remember it but after the suicide attack on the IRS last week, we now bring you a less violent but equally ineffective middle finger to the IRS.

Terry Hoskins, of Moscow, Ohio had IRS liens slapped on his carpeting store and other properties. Apparently he used his personal residence as collateral on the business and these other properties, leading his bank to foreclose on his home. Hoskins wasn’t okay with that:


Whether Terry the Bulldozer was looking to get a Facebook following out of this, isn’t entirely clear. But we will give the guy credit; even if he did this to himself by putting up his personal residence for some bad business deals, he’s got pretty creative for the sake of making a point.

“I made a bad business decision. Fuck you IRS! Up yours, RiverHills Bank! You think I’m not serious? I will rent heavy machinery to prove my point. I will make my loved ones temporarily homeless. I will go on a local NBC affiliate to talk about it. How do you like me now?”

Unfortunately, the timing couldn’t be worse. If that attention whore Joe Stack hadn’t gone on his little flight, Terry could be enjoying Joe the Plumber-esque fame right now. Next time, Terry.

The IRS Wants a Piece of Eve

Don’t we all. But seriously, what the hell is wrong with celebrities that can’t manage to pay their taxes? CPAs aren’t that expensive.

Eve isn’t in Nicolas Cage tax trouble with her little bill to the IRS but then again, who is?

The hip-hop star/actress/Who Wants to be a Millionaire contestant (charity, we hope?) owes around $357k from four different liens, two filed by the IRS and two by the state of California from ’08 and ’09.

So let’s brainstorm to help get this girl out of trouble. Is Barbershop 3 in the works? The Glee thing seems to have gone okay but do TV gigs pay enough? She’s not making Seinfeld money after all. Is WWTBAM still a series? Maybe they’re running it in the old Soviet Bloc and she can get on it there…

Hip-hop star Eve hops over tax bill [Tax Watchdog]

Arnold is Probably Thinking That This Is One of Those Situations Where a Cyborg from the Future Would Have Come in Handy

Thumbnail image for arnold.jpgIt just doesn’t seem possible that his Govinatorness would have a tax lien slapped on him because A) he’s married to a Kennedy and B) his annual Kindergarten Cop royalties alone should be enough to cover $79k.
Despite those two advantages, the IRS did file a lien in May for $79,064 that relates to 2004 and 2005, according to TMZ.


The claim by the Governor’s minions is about what you would expect them to come up with: a ‘paperwork snafu.’ In all fairness, the code section cited on the lien is 6721 which, as Tax Girl notes, is informational in nature:

Section 6721 deals with information returns, not taxes owed…Information returns would include such ordinary forms W-2, W-3, 1099, 1096, etc. If that’s the case, it could likely be related to household employee payroll taxes (household employees would include workers such as housekeepers and nannies). However, Schwarzenegger’s office is strongly hinting at the fact that it’s more removed than that – but then, they are politicians.

The other possibility that’s being floated around is that Ahnuld is “listed as a ‘responsible person’ by a business in which he is involved, possibly with a group of partners, and that the IRS might file liens against all of the business’s designated agents,” and thus, “might explain why Schwarzenegger may not have been aware a lien had been filed.”
So, as usual, no one really knows anything for sure and nobody is talking. The man has been a failed state to run people, he can’t be expected to be on top of everything.
Schwarzenegger’s Office Blames $79,000 Tax Lien on ‘Paperwork’ Snafu [Mercury News]
The Governator Blames Tax Lien On “Snafu” [Tax Girl]
See also: IRS Files $79k Tax Lien Against Gov. Schwarzenegger [TaxProf Blog]

Joe Francis to Declare Bankruptcy, Owes IRS $34 Million

Thumbnail image for Joe-Francis.jpgTragic news from the world of wholesome entertainment as Joe “Back to the business at hand of slapping women” Francis is allegedly going to declare bankruptcy tomorrow after receiving liens for nearly $34 mil.
Not such a good thing for Francis since he just hammered out a plea deal two months ago.
According to Tax Girl, that plea agreement, “requires him to resolve his outstanding tax issues. I mean, it is a resolution – but I’m guessing not so much what IRS had in mind.”
They certainly aren’t apologizing for this one.
Girls Gone Wild Founder To File Bankruptcy, Blames IRS [Tax Girl]
Other GC Coverage of Joe Francis:
SHOCKER: Joe Francis May Have Attracted Slimy Business People
Joe Francis Plans to Argue That Anything Related to Topless Girls is Deductible