Comedian Carlos Mencia has entered a plea of not guilty to 12 felony charges related to alleged tax evasion.

The charges claim Mencia failed to report or pay taxes on over $8 million in earnings.

Mencia, 58, appeared in a Los Angeles County court for his arraignment on Monday.

During the proceedings, a judge reduced his bail from $250,000 to $50,000.

Mencia had been in custody since his arrest on Thursday, and court documents indicate bail has been posted, though his release status remains unclear.

The charges against Mencia include six felony counts for failure to file personal income tax with the intent to evade taxes, covering the years 2019 to 2024.

Additionally, he faces six similar counts concerning corporate taxes.

This development is significant as these are the first charges filed under the district attorney’s newly established Business Tax Fraud Unit.

District Attorney Nathan Hochman, a former prosecutor of tax cases, announced the charges, labeling Mencia as “one of California’s biggest tax scofflaws.” Hochman stated that Mencia owes more than $300,000 in state taxes on an income total of $8.7 million.

If convicted on all 12 counts, Mencia could face a prison sentence exceeding 11 years.

Born Ned Arnel Holness in Honduras, Mencia grew up in East Los Angeles and began his stand-up career in the late 1980s.

He rose to prominence in the early 2000s, becoming a popular comic and also engaging in film and television acting.

His own TV series, “Mind of Mencia,” which combined stand-up with sketches, aired on Comedy Central from 2005 to 2008.

Mencia continues to perform regular stand-up shows, touring clubs and smaller theaters, and reportedly missed a series of Southern California shows while in jail.