Lauryn Hill charged for not filing taxes

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Singer Lauryn Hill has been charged with three misdemeanor counts of failing to file tax returns on $1.6 million worth of income, officials said.

The former Fugees singer responded to Thursday's charges with a statement on her Tumblr blog, explaining why she did not file her tax returns from 2005 to 2007, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.

She said she has been living relatively "underground" during those years, and she had no choice but to "build a community of people, like-minded in their desire for freedom and the right to pursue their goals and lives without being manipulated and controlled by a media protected military industrial complex with a completely different agenda."

She said she did not spend her money on extravagant items like exotic trips or a fleet of cars.

"I conveyed all of this when questioned as to why I did not file taxes during this time period," Hill said. "Obviously, the danger I faced was not accepted as reasonable grounds for deferring my tax payments, as authorities, who despite being told all of this, still chose to pursue action against me, as opposed to finding an alternative solution."