Wyclef Jean Is Broke, Claims Celeb’s Accountant

By NewsOne Staff

Former Fugees member Wyclef Jean is reportedly broke, according his business manager.

The Smoking Gunreports that the entertainer, who only a couple of years ago tried to run for the Haitian presidency, reportedly is in debt to Uncle Sam to the tune of $2.9 million in tax liens.

Through a confidential agreement that was drawn up, the international 44-year-old Haitian ambassador reportedly said he would fork over $100,000 to entertainment law firm Shukat Arrow Hafer Weber & Herbsman to settle an outstanding bill of $133,000. Jean, according to The Smoking Gun, was requested to satisfy his outstanding debt with the law firm via two installments: $10,000 by last August 1 and another $50,000 by the end of last year.

According to the alleged agreement, if Jean made the two payments totaling $60,000, the law firm would waive $40,000. If the entertainer, however, failed to make good on the agreement, an additional ten percent annual interest would also get tacked on to the $100,000. Jean did not make any payments to the firm, according to The Smoking Gun. His accountant, David Levin, reportedly sent out an email in January to the celeb’s creditors stating, “in my most professional verbiage…there ain’t no money.”  The email was sent out in response to the law firm’s threats of impending court action against Jean.

Levin reportedly told the legal eagles to go ahead and “file it” and they did. Now, Jean reportedly owes the firm $102,027.40.

He has had other money woes in the past as well.

Following the Haitian earthquake, Jean was questioned about the handling of the finances of his now defunct charitable organization, Yele Haiti. The non-profit foundation collected over $16 million in donations following the series of earthquakes that decimated the island’s capital city, Port-Au-Prince.

Yele Haiti closed its doors in 2012, leaving a parade of upset creditors in its wake.