An Orange County comedy club in Irvine is promoting several standup shows for alleged tax cheat Carlos Mencia despite authorities raiding his home and hauling the comedian off to jail Thursday.
The Irvine Improv was set to host Mencia for five shows from June 18-20, touting his upcoming appearance at the club on the same day of his arrest.
The club described Mencia as “one of stand-up’s most recognizable comedians” in a post on X shared hours after the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office announced criminal charges against him.
“Carlos Mencia starts tonight at the Irvine Improv and he’s here through June 20. Don’t miss three nights with one of stand up’s most recognizable comedians. June 18–20 Ticket link in bio,” the post added.
The Irvine Improv eventually pulled promotions on its website of Mencia’s appearance at the club around 10 p.m. on Thursday, replacing him with comedian Francisco Ramos. Ramos is scheduled to perform three shows at the club from June 19 to 20.
Mencia’s next scheduled appearance at Jimmy Kimmel’s comedy club in Las Vegas was still listed on its website as of Friday morning. He had four scheduled shows at the venue on June 24-25 and July 1-2.
Los Angeles DA Nathan Hochman decimated Mencia in a Thursday press conference announcing charges against him, accusing him of dodging filings for $8.7 million of his wealth over five years.
The DA claimed Mencia was handed 78 warning notices after the state of California missed out on about $300,000 in taxes.
Six of the counts against him were related to personal taxes, with the other six associated with his businesses between 2019 and 2024.
If convicted, Mencia faces up to 10 years in prison. The jokester was arrested at his home in Encino around 7 a.m. Thursday by Hochman’s new Business Tax Fraud Unit, which he created to focus on tax crimes.
“Following the money is an art form,” Hochman said. “Al Capone was taken down by a tax case. We will use the tax laws appropriately. Loud and clear, the business tax fraud unit is up and running.”
Mencia is no stranger to controversy. His stand-up career has been overshadowed by accusations from fellow comedians that he stole jokes — claims he has repeatedly denied.
He also faced ire from the IRS, which put liens on several properties he owned in Douglas County, Oregon, due to several years of unpaid federal income taxes totaling about $1.2 million.
And in a 2006 NPR interview, he admitted to working as a drug dealer and robbing a person after they wouldn’t pay him back the money they owed him.
After Thursday’s arrest, Mencia was remanded in custody with bail set at $250,000.
The California Post reached out to the Irvine Improv for comment.
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