Wyclef Jean Owes IRS Over $5M in Back Taxes, Says Report

By: Edecio Martinez, Caroline Black
Topics: Daily Blotter

Wyclef Jean (AP Photo, file)

NEW YORK (CBS/WFOR) Wyclef Jean announced last week that he is running for president of Haiti. But before the Haitian musician and hip hop producer enters politics, he should probably pay his alleged back taxes here in the U.S. - all $5,278,430.10 worth.

According to court records, dating back to 2004, obtained by CBS affiliate WFOR, the rapper, whose legal name is Nel W. Jean, and his wife Marie Claudinette, owe over $5 million in Federal IRS and state tax liens on properties in NY state, New Jersey and Florida.

Now more liens, filed by the IRS, have surfaced. First reported by the website The Smoking Gun, the liens are taxes Jean allegedly failed to pay from 2006 through 2008 totaling more than $2.1 million on his Saddle River Borough property.

This is the second time in less than a year the musician has come under scrutiny for his financial dealings.

After the earthquake that shook Haiti to its core, Jean set up the Wyclef Jean Foundation in order to rebuild the devastated country and help its people.

But soon after it was discovered that the foundation was having extensive cash flow problems, and that Jean reportedly used some of the money to pay himself and his partner, cousin Jerry Duplessis, more than $410,000 for rent, production services, and Jean's appearance at a benefit concert, according to The Smoking Gun.

The foundation has reportedly collected millions of dollars from people all over the world following the earthquake in Haiti; however, it is not clear how the money was spent, the website reported.

Reporting Contributed by CBS Affiliate WFOR

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