Twista pleaded guilty to five counts of tax evasion and faces up to five years in prison for neglecting $440,000 in unpaid taxes.
Twista faces federal prison time after admitting he neglected years of tax obligations when he purchased luxury cars and collected royalties in advance instead of repaying the debt to the Internal Revenue Service.
The Chicago rapper pleaded guilty to five counts of willfully failing to pay income taxes between 2019 and 2023, with prosecutors revealing that his unpaid taxes, dating back to 2011, total more than $440,000.
The situation worsened as Twista received multiple warnings.
Both the IRS and his own accountant warned him multiple times that his tax debt was growing and that he was legally obligated to pay taxes, but he continued to make expensive purchases and lifestyle expenses.
Rather than address the mounting bills, he struck a deal with a third-party company to collect advances on future royalties, a move specifically designed to keep those funds away from the IRS for collection purposes.
Twista isn’t the first rapper to face serious jail time for tax evasion.
Ja Rule served 28 months in federal prison for failing to pay more than $1 million in taxes between 2004 and 2008.
Lauryn Hill spent three months in jail for unpaid taxes on $1.8 million she earned between 2005 and 2007.
Fat Joe served 4 months in jail for failing to pay more than $1 million in taxes in 2007 and 2008. This pattern suggests that federal prosecutors take these cases seriously, regardless of an artist’s fame or catalogue.
The 52-year-old faces up to a year in prison on each of the five counts.
His sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 22, 2026, Fox 32 Chicago reported.
