Twista is facing possible prison time after pleading guilty to willfully failing to pay federal income taxes over five years.
The Chicago rapper, born Carl Mitchell, admitted in a plea agreement filed in federal court last week that he did not pay roughly $175,000 in income taxes from 2019 through 2023.
Twista rose to mainstream success with tracks including “Slow Jamz” and “Overnight Celebrity,” both of which earned Grammy nominations in 2005.
The IRS says Twista, 52, has unpaid tax liabilities reaching back more than a decade, with the total now topping $440,000. Under the plea agreement, he is expected to pay about $440,000 in restitution to the U.S. Treasury Department, along with interest and penalties.
Prosecutors said the rapper continued earning income through concerts, streaming, album sales, and royalties during the years at issue. They also said the IRS and his accountants had repeatedly informed the rapper that he owed taxes.
At the same time, prosecutors claimed Twista spent heavily on cars, including about $100,000 on a Corvette, $80,000 on a BMW i8, $65,000 on a Tesla, and another $65,000 on a Jeep.
Twista “routinely made other large, nonessential purchases when he could have used available funds to pay his outstanding tax debts,” prosecutors said.
A sentencing hearing is set for Oct. 22, and he faces up to 1 year in prison on each of the 5 counts.
