From the Detroit News:
Comedian/actor Sinbad's financial problems just got a whole lot worse. The Benton Harbor native, who emceed Motown Records' 50th anniversary gala last month, owes more than $8.15 million in delinquent federal taxes and the U.S. Attorney General's office wants his house sold to help satisfy the debt, according to federal court records.
On Dec. 10, an assistant U.S. attorney asked a federal judge to foreclose on several tax liens and determine the 53-year-old comedian (full name Sinbad Adkins) is the true owner of a $1.5 million home in Hidden Hills, Calif.
The home's title is held by his brother, Michael Adkins, but since 1998 the federal government says mortgage interest and property taxes either have been paid by Sinbad's company Afros & Bellbottoms Productions Inc. or by the comedian's personal checking account.
Sinbad, who rose to fame on "Star Search" in the 1980s before starring in a string of movies like "Houseguest" and TV shows, really owns the property, the government claims. One possible hiccup, however. On Dec. 11, the day after the government filed the case, Sinbad filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy in California, listing between $10 million and $50 million in liabilities and less than $50,000 in assets.
The IRS claims Sinbad filed federal income tax returns for years 1998 through 2006 but failed to pay the reported taxes.
