Lauryn Hill is due to be sentenced on tax evasion charges on Monday, April 22, but the former Fugee has had another dilemma fall into her lap this week. According to reports, the Grammy Award-winning singer/rapper is facing eviction from her South Orange, New Jersey mansion. The landlord of the property claims that Hill failed to pay her rent in March and South Orange Village Counsel Steve Rother reported that she was due in tenancy court earlier this week.
She’s been living in the mansion since 2009.
The 37-year-old entered a guilty plea to three counts of tax fraud in June of last year. She admitted that she intentionally failed to file tax returns in the years 2005, 2006 and 2007. She reportedly earned more than $1.5 million over that period. The superstar could face up to a year in jail and a $100,000 fine for each count.
Last week, she asked the court for leniency, stating that she lived a low-profile life and was virtually “underground” because she feared for her family’s safety. She claimed that there were threats to her children’s safety, but did not state from whom.
Hill’s life has been a series of mishaps in recent years. Tax woes and the dissolution of her longtime relationship with Rohan Marley have all played out in the public eye despite Hill remaining reclusive for much of the previous decade. Her late ’90s breakup with fellow Fugee Wyclef Jean was also discussed at-length in his 2011 memoir, Purpose.
Nonetheless, she has managed to re-emerge somewhat, becoming a consistent performer since 2010. She embarked on the well-received “Black Rage/Life Is Good” tour with rapper Nas last year, and has made appearances at the Coachella Music Festival, Rock the Bells and performed on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon during that time.
She hasn’t released an album since 2001.
