Hill Posts Bail In Tax Case

Lauryn Hill has posted $150,000 bail after pleading guilty to tax evasion in U.S. District Court in Newark, N.J.

Hill admitted in court June 29 that she neglected to file returns between 2005 and 2007, failing to pay taxes on roughly $1.8 million she earned during that period.

Terms of Hill’s release stipulated she undergo mental health counseling and share her travel plans with the government, according to court documents.

Nathan Hockman, an attorney for the singer, indicated she plans to pay back the taxes she owes.

He said in court that Hill will ramp up her touring schedule and sought to extend her sentencing date – originally set for October – to give her time to earn money to “make the government whole,” the local Star-Ledger reported.

“Ms. Hill is touring for no other reason than that she is a musician,” Hockman added. “She will use some of the money earned to pay off what she owes.”

The bail hearing followed a recent, lengthy, post on Hill’s Tumblr page in which she explained she did not “deliberately abandon any responsibilities, but I did however put my safety, health and freedom and the freedom, safety and health of my family first over all other material concerns! I also embraced my right to resist a system intentionally opposing my right to whole and integral survival.”

Hill could reportedly face up to six years in prison and $75,000 in fines when she is sentenced in November.