Ray ‘Benzino’ Scott, co-owner of The Source magazine, has been charged with failing to file tax returns in 1999 and 2000 – despite having earned a combined total of $1.5 million in those two years.
The rap mogul pleaded ‘Not Guilty’ to the tax charges when he appeared in front of a US District Court in Boston last week, and was set free on $10,000 bail.
“There was an extensive investigation into this matter,” said FBI spokeswoman Gail Marcinkiewicz. “We took a sweeping look at this individual. We were aware of the allegations of murder and everything else. This is what we came up with.”
According to public records, Benzino sold a house in New Jersey last year for $2 million.
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A spokeswoman for the US attorney’s office in Massachusetts, which is bringing the charges against Z-no, refused to comment. His lawyer however, stated that his client is innocent and misunderstood.
“He’s a very likable, very versatile, very outgoing,”Leonard Sands told The Boston Herald. “He’s a very down-to-earth, soft-spoken guy.”
Although not confirmed by anyone at the FBI, it is believed that these tax charges are linked to a larger investigation into the hip hop industry, as speculated in the Boston Herald. The FBI, however, did reveal that the investigation into Scott also examined his gang ties.
In addition to these latest legal troubles, Benzino is facing a civil suit from Textron Financial, The Source’s main lender, as well as being embroiled in another federal suit from former female employees at the publication, who accused the rapper of sexual harassment and gender discrimination.
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