In the ultimate case of "get your own house in order first,"
Wyclef Jean, who
announced his candidacy for Haiti's presidency on Wednesday, owes the
Internal Revenue Service more than $2.1 million.
The Smoking Gun is reporting that there are
millions in federal tax liens filed against the musician.
The Smoking Gun has posted documents obtained from New Jersey's
Bergen County Clerk's Office. Apparently, the IRS filed a $724,332 tax lien against Jean in May. Last July, the agency filed a $599,167 lien against the performer and a $792,269 lien was lodged against Jean in July 2007. The liens cover taxes due on Jean's individual 1040 returns for 2006, 2007 and 2008.
So let me get this straight:
you can't pay your own taxes but you want to run a country?
The three IRS liens were filed against Wyclef Jean's (whose real name is
Nel W. Jean) home in Saddle River, N.J. In 1998, Jean purchased the $1.85 million home, where now he lives with his wife,
Claudinette, and their family.
Jean, 37, has previously been the subject of two smaller tax liens filed against him by the State of New Jersey and the
New York State Tax Commission -- both of which were eventually paid in full.
Is there suddenly a dearth of accountants in this country? What is wrong with these people? From
Redd Foxx to
Willie Nelson, don't these entertainers know that it may not be today, and it may not be tomorrow, but the government is gonna get their money.
Jean was also criticized for the way he
handled his finances for his charitable foundation, Yele Haiti. Tax returns indicated that Jean used his foundation to pay himself and a business partner more than $410,000 for rent, production services and Jean's appearance at a benefit concert.
OK, how do you pay
yourself to perform at your own benefit's concert?
Experts on non-profits later spoke up in Jean's defense, saying there was no concrete evidence to corroborate wrongdoing on Jean's part.
Uh huh. I hope the people of Haiti know what they're getting into.
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