Rapper DMX pleads not guilty to tax dodging

NEW YORK (AP):

Rapper DMX has pleaded not guilty to charges he's been dodging the IRS.

The hip-hop star, whose real name is Earl Simmons, appeared on Friday in federal court in New York City, after authorities accused him of owing $1.7 million (approximately J$218 million) in back taxes. He's to be released on a $500,000 bond.

Prosecutors say Simmons stopped paying taxes in the early 2000s at the peak of his career, when he was making millions off chart-topping songs, concert performances, and movie roles.

Authorities say when the Internal Revenue Service tried to make him pay up, the 46-year-old Yonkers native began putting his pay cheque in his managers' accounts and having them give him cash for his expenses.

His lawyers had no immediate comment yesterday.