This week was without a doubt not the best for Lauryn Hill. If earlier this week, Lauryn Hill was having a sort of back-and-forth argument with Nicki Minaj, now she’s being investigated by the IRS. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark, N.J., said Lauryn Hill failed to file federal tax returns.
If the IRS has little patience for the few times you forget to send in your federal tax returns on time, when it comes to the amount Lauryn Hill failed to pay her taxes for, the sanctions are pretty steep. The Philadelphia Inquirer writes that on June 29, Lauryn Hill is scheduled to appear in court and explain why she didn’t pay taxes for over $1.6 million.
The singer must come up with a pretty good explanation and make sure her lawyer is up to the challenge. Otherwise, she is looking at a $300,000 fine for the three counts the IRS is charging her for and even one year in prison. Lauryn Hill’s attorney, Nathan Hochman did not comment yet regarding the charges.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark says that the 37-year-old singer did not file her federal tax returns for three years in a row, 2005, 2006 and 2007. The charges read that during the three years, Lauryn Hill made $1.6 million in income, mostly from royalties. The singer has four companies she receives royalties from: Studio 22 Inc., Boogie Tours Inc., L.H. Productions 2001 Inc. and Creations Music Inc.
A few years ago, Lauryn Hill was being sued by four Newark musicians looking for royalties from the album she released in 1998.”The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” was the success that made her famous after her breakup with the Fugees. The album got five Grammy awards and sold about 10 million copies.
The royalties for the album were estimated at over $6 million and the Newark musicians wanted one third of that. The lawsuit pertained to Lauryn Hill and Sony Music Entertainment but was settled out of court. The media couldn’t learn for how much the singers settled.
In 2008, Lauryn Hill was involved in another lawsuit, this time a civil judgment over her property in South Orange.
Anyone can tell from reading her statement that she is in desperate fear for her life; and the music industry mafia is using scare tactics to strong arm her and she was just trying to make sure she never ran out of $ to a point where they could attach their fangs to her & she’d be helpless. She is obviously not a criminal but the govt can be bought & is now punishing her as a compensation for not protecting her like the govt vows to do for us. Praise Ms. Lauryn Hill for not folding to those gangsters! I admire you since DAY ONE! Shame on the bullies who root for her collapse. You peons are not worthy to be spit on by her courageous saliva. Love you, Ms. Hill! People need to rally behind and support her, lest they Michael Jackson Whitney her. Come on these are devils in that music bizness! the DEVIL and all you punk entertainers who allow yourself to be muzzled silent (while acting tough and bad) as she fights for your freedom to create unmuzzled by Satan. come on you aggressive herbs; Lauryn Hill is far more tough than any of you gun-waving stooges. And to you cowardly r & b singers who admire her, SPEAK UP! This woman’s life is on the line!!!!! If you doubt the music industry mafia is in bed with the I.R.S. think back to Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich denouncing Bank of America; then being arrested the VERY NEXT DAY! This is no different. Lauryn last week spoke out against music industry intimidation tactics at Summer Jam; & boom, the I.R.S. on her!! Tila Tequila and Randy Quaid are being menaced by similar gangsters to the ones menacing Ms. Hill