Lauryn Hill has been charged with failing to file three years’ worth of tax returns. The 37-year-old entertainer currently lives in South Orange, N.J.
She first made waves as part of the group, the Fugees, which also boasted Wyclef Jean and rapper Pras Michel. The group’s second album, The Score, went multi-platinum, won a Grammy (in 1997), and was included on Rolling Stone‘s Top 500 Albums of All Time.
Hill eventually went out on her own, launching a successful solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, in 1998. The album was critically acclaimed, earning Hill five Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, Best R&B Album, Best R&B Song, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, and Best New Artist.
After the success of her album, Hill took time off to focus on her growing family. She has five children together with Rohan Marley, the son of reggae legend Bob Marley and another son, born last year, with another man (she has tried to keep his identity a secret).
The singer, who has been cited as an influence by Adele, Prince, and Mary J. Blige, now lives in South Orange, New Jersey. She is reportedly worth several million dollars but has not filed taxes, according to authorities, for the years 2005, 2006, and 2007. If she is found guilty, she could face a maximum penalty of a year in prison and a $100,000 fine for each count.
Those years are interesting because it has been alleged by some of Hill’s friends and family that Hill is a victim of mental illness brought on by her fame. In 2008, former bandmate Wyclef Jean voiced concerns about Hill’s emotional stability, telling People magazine, “When you’re so successful, if you don’t have one person around you that can talk some sense into [you], it’s over.”
Hill is scheduled to appear in court on June 29.
