Internal Revenue to New Edition member: Cool It Now!

Ronnie DeVoe said in an interview that he and his wife owe a hefty sum to the IRS

Dec 11, 2018

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Can you stand the rain? Even when the storms that come are the IRS?

Ronnie DeVoe, one of the founding members of iconic R&B group New Edition certainly hopes he can because the singer, along with his his reality show star wife Shamari, owe Uncle Sam a pretty substantial amount of money.

Instead of Mr. Telephone Man, it’s Mr. Tax Man who has been dialing his phone to the tune of $366,000 back tax debt from 2013. DeVoe, who is also one-third of N.E. spinoff group BBD, copped to the debt during an interview on iHeartRadio’s Domenick Nati Show.

“There’s some truth to everything in life,” DeVoe, 51, said. “We’ve all had some tax challenges at some point, or doctored up some documents to be able to get some type of tax return.

“Sh*t happens in life,” he added. “That was one year that was a really good year and money was used to be able to take care of some other things. Every year after that has been amazing and paid for and up to date. We own up to our flaws ultimately. We are not a perfect couple. We are not perfect people.”

Department of the Treasury documents shows a Federal Tax Lien for DeVoe in the amount of $366,786.38. The tax debt was first reported by RadarOnline.

The DeVoes join a long line of high-profile Atlanta stars who have owed big money to the IRS including Mo’Nique, NeNe Leakes and Kim Fields. Leakes had to settle an $842,000 federal tax debt in last year.

Most recently, the couple threw a massive party for their 1-year-old twins, including spending almost $1,000 on two cakes on the latest episode of Real Housewives of Atlanta. Hopefully, they are serious about clearing this up because the consequences could be dire.

Wesley Snipes famously did prison time for tax evasion. He owed more than $7 million to the IRS for unpaid taxes between 1999 and 2001.

He was convicted in 2008 of three misdemeanor counts of failing to file tax returns and served three years in prison from 2010-2013.

“It is definitely something I’m not running away from,” DeVoe said. “The IRS knows me, I know them. Payments are being made.”