DMX is the latest rapper who may be going to the pokey (see Fat Joe, Lauryn Hill) after pleading guilty to income tax evasion.
X, whose real name is Earl Simmons, 46, appeared before a federal judge in New York on Thursday and admitted that he concealed millions of dollars from the government, according to prosecutors.
“Today, Earl Simmons admitted to systematically cheating on his taxes. By insisting to be paid in cash whenever possible and having royalty payments diverted to the accounts of financial surrogates, Simmons concealed hundreds of thousands of dollars of income from the IRS,” Joon H. Kim, the acting United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, said Thursday.
“Simmons made a choice between right or wrong and did the right thing, admitting his guilt and agreeing to pay his tax liabilities,” Kim said. “No matter who you are or whatever fame you may have achieved, the law applies equally to all, and no one is exempt from the shared obligation to pay our taxes.”
In July, X was charged with 14 counts and surrendered to authorities. The IRS maintains that he failed to file personal tax returns for several years and owes the government at least $1.7 million, according to a report from ABC News.
He faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, but perhaps will be able to avoid serving time with his plea deal. He also has to pay the IRS back its money.
Read more at ABC News.