Twista admits to five counts of tax evasion and faces up to five years in prison for ignoring $440K in unpaid taxes.
Twista faces federal prison time after admitting he ignored years of tax obligations while buying luxury vehicles and collecting royalty advances instead of settling his debts with the IRS.
The Chicago rapper entered a guilty plea to five counts of willfully failing to pay income taxes spanning 2019 through 2023, with prosecutors revealing that his total unpaid tax liability dates back to 2011 and exceeds $440,000.
The situation worsened because Twista received multiple warnings.
Both the IRS and his own accountants repeatedly warned him about the growing tax debt and his legal obligation to pay it, but he kept making expensive purchases and spending on lifestyle anyway.
Rather than address the mounting bills, he structured deals with third-party companies to receive advances on future royalty payments, a move designed specifically to keep those funds out of the IRS’s reach for collection purposes.
Twista isn’t the first rapper to face serious prison time over tax evasion.
Ja Rule served 28 months in federal prison after failing to pay over $1 million in taxes between 2004 and 2008.
Lauryn Hill spent three months behind bars for not paying taxes on $1.8 million earned between 2005 and 2007.
Fat Joe served 4 months in prison for failing to pay taxes on over $1 million for 2007 and 2008. The pattern shows that federal prosecutors take these cases seriously regardless of an artist’s fame or catalog.
The 52-year-old faces a maximum sentence of one year in prison on each of the five counts.
According to Fox 32 Chicago, his sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 22, 2026.
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