Carlos Mencia Pleads Not Guilty to 12 Tax Charges as Bail Drops to $50,000

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 23

Carlos Mencia pleaded not guilty Monday in Los Angeles to 12 felony tax-evasion-related charges tied to more than $8.7 million in allegedly unreported personal and corporate income from 2019 to 2024.
The 58-year-old comedian is accused of six counts of failing to file personal income tax returns and six similar corporate counts with intent to evade taxes; prosecutors say he owes more than $300,000 in state taxes.
A judge cut Mencia’s bail from $250,000 to $50,000 after his lawyers challenged a hold that had kept him jailed, arguing the case involves alleged nonpayment of taxes rather than illegally obtained income.
Defense filings also attacked the arrest at his Encino home as an excessive raid and said his detention had already cost him four scheduled shows and nearly $40,000 in lost profit.
Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman said the case is the first major prosecution from the Business Tax Fraud Unit created in May 2026, with investigators citing 78 tax notices sent to Mencia’s home.