Overview
- Mencia, who was arrested at his Encino home on June 18, pleaded not guilty at an arraignment Monday and posted bail after a judge reduced his bond to $50,000.
- Prosecutors filed 12 felony counts tied to tax years 2019–2024, six for alleged personal returns and six for corporate returns, saying about $8.7 million in income went unreported and that Mencia owes just over $300,000 in California taxes.
- The district attorney, Nathan Hochman, labeled the case a major enforcement action for the new Business Tax Fraud Unit and said a conviction on all counts could carry up to 11 years and four months in state prison.
- Mencia’s lawyers have filed an emergency motion calling the arrest an “absurd show of force,” seeking return of seized phones and computers and arguing the tactics and a pretrial hold were excessive and harmed his ability to earn income.
- State tax cases are rarer than federal prosecutions because most criminal tax enforcement is federal, but California law allows felony charges for willful failure to file and the DA can also pursue civil recovery or refer matters for federal review with a next court date set for August 14, 2026.