Singer Lauryn Hill Charged with Tax Evasion

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Newark on Thursday charged New Jersey songstress Lauryn Hill with failing to file tax returns for three years on some $1.6 million in income.

Hill, a South Orange resident, is charged with three counts of failing to file tax returns, in 2005, 2006 and 2007. She is scheduled to appear before a U.S. magistrate for a hearing on the charges on June 29.

U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman said in a statement that Hill owns four corporations besides her income as an entertainer. They include Creations Music, Inc., Boogie Tours, Inc., L.H. Productions 2001, Inc. and Studio 22, Inc.

Hill, who graduated from Columbia High School in Maplewood, is best known for her work with Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel in the Fugees, and for her solo recording, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. That release earned her five Grammy awards, including Best New Artist and Album of the Year.

Hill became something of an entertainment recluse after her success, rarely performing in large venues and criticized by her former bandmates for emotional outbursts. 

If convicted, Hill could face a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine for each of the three counts.

Click on the PDF, above, to read the charges against Hill.