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Method Man Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion

Method Man Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion

*Method Man pleaded guilty to a tax-evasion charge Monday, then immediately wrote out a check to cover his final $40,000 restitution payment after owing about $106,000.

The rapper was arrested Oct. 9 on charges he failed to pay state and personal income taxes. After pleading guilty, he was sentenced to a conditional discharge, which means the arrest will be purged from his record if he stays out of trouble.

“When he found out about the tax issue he hired someone and immediately corrected it,” Meth’s lawyer Peter Frankel said. “He took care of it quickly like the good member of our community he is.”

The former Wu Tang Clan member, who lives on Staten Island and whose real name is Clifford Smith, failed to file tax returns for 2004 through 2007, prosecutors said. The most he owed for one year was $32,799.

Prosecutors said when people cheat on their taxes, other New Yorkers have to foot the cost.

“In these days of massive budget shortfalls and service cuts, tax evasion is a crime against all New Yorkers,” Richmond County District Attorney Daniel Donovan said. “Whether you are a celebrity or an average Joe, you will be investigated, arrested and prosecuted.”