Fort Lee man pleaded guilty Thursday
NEWARK -- A Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and producer Mario Winans admitted Thursday that he failed to file tax returns on more than $2.8 million in income, New Jersey U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
In this May 17, 2005, file photo, Mario Winans, of Fort Lee, N.J., arrives at the BMI Pop Music Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif. Federal prosecutors in New Jersey say Winans pleaded guilty Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016, to willfully failing to file tax returns from 2008 to 2012, and faces two years in prison and a $200,000 fine. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, File) Winans, 42, of Fort Lee, pleaded guilty to failing to file a tax return for tax years 2008 and 2010 in Newark federal court. Winans also admitted that he didn't file returns for 2009, 2011, and 2012.
Winans, who has produced songs for hip-hop, rhythm and blues and dance music artists, faces a maximum sentence of two years in prison and a $200,000 fine, according to prosecutors. He is scheduled for a Jan. 24 sentencing.
Winans admitted he received royalty payments from checks made payable to companies that he controlled, called Yellow City LLC and RioWorld LLC. Though he earned more than $2.8 million from 2008 to 2012, he intentionally didn't file tax returns during those years. Prosecutors reported the tax losses at $434,968.
The "I Don't Wanna Know" singer won a Grammy for Best Gospel Performance as the writer and producer of "Pray."
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