WASHINGTON — The Chicago rapper known as Twista has pleaded guilty to five counts of willfully failing to pay his income taxes and faces up to five years in prison.

The IRS Criminal Investigations division, the crime-fighting arm of the IRS, says Twista, whose legal name is Carl Mitchell, failed to pay income tax from 2019 to 2023 and owes more than $440,000 in back taxes.

Last week, Mitchell pleaded guilty to five counts of willfully failing to pay income tax. He is scheduled for sentencing on Oct. 22.

Best known for his 2004 album ’Kamikaze,” Mitchell has collaborated with musicians including Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, and Jamie Foxx on the song “Slow Jamz.” He has received two Grammy nominations.

His income stemmed from performances, album sales, streaming and royalties, according to IRS-CI.

Despite warnings from both the IRS and his own accountants of his tax debts, “instead, Mitchell entered into agreements with a third-party company to pay him advances on future royalties, knowing that the IRS would not be able to levy these funds,” the IRS said in a statement.

Mitchell also has unpaid tax liabilities dating back to 2011, and the government alleges Mitchell made large purchases to support his lifestyle, including buying at least four luxury vehicles.

Representatives for Mitchell did not immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment.

“IRS Criminal Investigation doesn’t care how famous you are or what you’ve accomplished,” Adam Jobes, with IRS-CI's Chicago field office, said in a statement. “If you willfully refuse to pay your taxes, we’ll follow the money and bring you to justice.”

NEW YORK — Actor Kelsey Grammer says he's “likely” to enter politics at some point.

The 71-year-old star who played Dr. Frasier Crane on “Cheers” and that's show's hit spinoff, “Frasier,” didn't say specifically what office he might seek. But he did tell US Weekly that those ambitions will have to wait until his 9-month-old son is a little older.

“I have wrestled with it,” the conservative sitcom star said.

Grammer is a father of eight and a longtime Republican who supports President Donald Trump. The New Jersey-bred performer has had numerous homes in the U.S. including an estate in the Catskills, but spends time in the English countryside near the family of his fourth wife, 47-year-old Kayte Walsh, according to Realtor.com.

He told US Weekly that being a septuagenarian who's never held public office doesn't mean time for a career change is running out.

“I'm vital and prepared to stay that way for quite a while, and yes, it's likely I will at least throw my hat in the ring in some way,” he said.

Grammer, whose father and grandfather served in the military, wasn't drafted to fight in Vietnam. He said he's since felt a call to duty.

“I breathed a sigh of relief, and I didn't go, and now I have a sense of regret that I should have served in some way anyway,” according to Grammer.

Grammer has been involved in several projects dealing wartime including a starring role in the 1984 World War II movie “Murder Company.” He also produced the Fox Nation series “George: Rise of a Revolutionary” and “Kelsey Grammer's Historic Battles for America.”

WASHINGTON — Comedian Bill Maher was the guest of honor at the Kennedy Center on Sunday night. But President Donald Trump's presence wasn't far away.

Just moments after Maher began to accept the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, Matt Friend, a leading impersonator of the president, took to the stage and, in Trump's voice, joked that he would accept the award himself. Trump was a punchline for other comedians and entertainers, including Whitney Cummings, Jay Leno and Woody Harrelson.

For the most part, the barbs weren't particularly biting. Cummings, for instance, said that under Trump's influence, the Kennedy Center would host “white ‘Hamilton.’” And once Friend left the stage, Maher largely steered clear of hitting the president. The commentary was nonetheless notable for unfolding in an iconic performing arts venue that Trump has gone to extraordinary lengths to bend to his favor, leaving its future in the coming years uncertain.

Accepting the award, Maher derided extremes in both political parties, rejecting what he called “groupthink.”

“If you hang around long enough and create something important enough, everyone hates you at some point,” Maher said.

The ceremony in the Kennedy Center's Concert Hall wasn't purely political. There were plenty of jokes about Maher's fondness for marijuana, his rejection of organized religion and his penchant for controversy, including comments he made shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that led to the cancellation of his television show, “Politically Incorrect.”

Given Trump's sway over the Kennedy Center, Maher’s selection for the award was notable because the two men have long had a fraught relationship.

Before he entered politics, Trump filed a $5 million lawsuit against Maher in 2013 for breach of contract. Appearing on Leno’s “The Tonight Show,” Maher said he would give $5 million to the charity of Trump’s choice if Trump could prove he was not “the spawn of his mother having sex with an orangutan.”

Trump claimed that when he provided his birth certificate, Maher did not pay up, prompting the lawsuit. Trump ended up dropping it.

The Trump-Maher relationship exploded again earlier this year, when the president claimed on social media that he wasted time sitting down for a meal with the comedian last year. Lutnick noted that Trump had written out all the critical comments he'd made about Maher over the years and autographed the document.

“You've got to be able to laugh at it,” Lutnick said. “The president can laugh at it. Bill Maher can laugh at it. And that's what makes tonight great.”

Maher hosted Vice President JD Vance on his show heading into the weekend. Vance, who is promoting a book, said he watches the show and laughed at Maher's monologue “even though you were making fun of me.” During the interview, Maher pressed Vance on the Iran war, immigration enforcement and election conspiracy theories.

“You guys have two outcomes that an election can be,” Maher told Vance. “Either we win or they cheated. That (expletive) has to stop.”

The Twain prize ceremony will air on Netflix on July 21.