Check out these high profile tax case headlines just this last year alone.
· Former teen idol Aaron Carter reportedly owes the Internal Revenue Service more than $1 million in
back taxes.
· The IRS has filed a tax lien against actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, claiming she owes $118,321 in unpaid
taxes for 2001 and 2002, but her lawyer claims that it's Bernard Madoff's fault.
· British rock band Echo & The Bunnymen have canceled their U.S. tour, citing "unreasonable
demands" from the IRS.
· Political campaign consultant and pundit Ed Rollins reportedly owed over $1.33 million, according to
federal and state tax liens and warrants filed this year, although he claims to have paid off much of
the debt.
· Rap singer Nas is the latest hip-hop performer facing tax trouble, with the IRS filing a lien against
him for $2,584,206.31.
· Nicolas Cage has filed suit against his former business manager, claiming that Samuel Levin's poor
investment choices and failure to pay Cage's taxes led him "down a path toward financial ruin."
· Ron Darling, a former World Series-winning pitcher with the New York Mets, is facing four tax
liens and warrants totaling $544,197.
· Method Man, a member of the hip-hop collective the Wu-Tang Clan, has been arrested on felony
charges of failing to file New York State income tax returns for 2004 to 2007 and not paying
$32,799 in personal income taxes for the same period.
· Professional boxer Floyd "Money" Mayweather, Jr., has agreed to pay the IRS $5.6 million in back
taxes to avoid having federal officials take the money from his winnings in a welterweight bout.
· Champion golfer Jim Thorpe faces up to two years in jail and $4.1 million in fines after he pleaded
guilty to failing to pay over $2 million in income taxes.
· Joe Francis, chief executive of the racy video producer Girls Gone Wild, has struck a plea deal with
prosecutors in his tax evasion case and agreed to pay $249,705 in back taxes.
· Retired Pittsburgh Steeler Hall of Fame player Mel Blount owes $631,000 in back taxes, according
to a civil action filed by the IRS.
· Former All-Star baseball pitcher Jerry Koosman received a six-month sentence for not paying his
federal income taxes for 2002-2004.
· Dr. Conrad Murray, the doctor who attended Michael Jackson during his last days, is facing a
$21,728 tax lien from the state of California.
· A nonprofit foundation run by Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. is filing an amended 2007
tax return after it was found to have mischaracterized $11,000 in payments to officials as research
grants.
· Actor and retired professional wrestler "Stone Cold" Steve Austin has been body-slammed by
California tax authorities with a $22,000 tax lien.
· Actor Stephen Baldwin and his wife have filed for Chapter 11 protection after incurring millions in
debt, including a hefty sum owed to the IRS.
· Two high-profile singers, Foxy Brown and Toni Braxton, are facing large tax liens, according to
recent reports.
· Richard Hatch, the first-season winner of "Survivor," has requested an early release from his
in-home jail sentence for tax evasion so he can rejoin the show and win enough to pay back the
IRS, but the judge said no.
· Former NFL quarterback Bernie Kosar has filed for bankruptcy, listing debts to the IRS and
Broward County, Fla., along with debts arising from the collapse of the Florida real estate market.
· Federal authorities have sued actress Robin Givens, ex-wife of heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson, for
nearly $300,000 in unpaid taxes, interest and penalties stretching back 13 years.
· Secretary of Health and Human Services nominee Kathleen Sebelius became the latest prospective
Cabinet member to run afoul of the Tax Code after she admitted to recently paying $7,040 in back
taxes and $878 in interest.
· Ron Kirk, the Obama administration's nominee for U.S. Trade Representative, has agreed to pay
$9,975 in back taxes he owed on $37,750 in speaking fees.
· Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will have to pay taxes on $16,951 in travel allowances that she billed
the state for days she worked from home in Wasilla.
· In the latest sign of tax trouble in the Obama cabinet, Labor Secretary-designate Hilda Solis' husband
had tax liens filed against him.
· Tom Daschle, President Obama's pick to lead the Department of Health of Human Services, has
withdrawn his nomination amid revelations that he recently owed more than $140,000 in taxes and
interest.
· Treasury Secretary-designate Timothy Geithner admitted owing more than $34,000 in
self-employment taxes between 2001 and 2004.
· Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik pleaded not guilty last week to tax fraud
charges.
· Rap singer Doug E. Fresh is facing tax liens from the federal and state government, along with
foreclosure of three homes.
It doesn't matter who you are, without good tax advice you will have problems with the IRS. Engage
a trusted tax professional.
