Lauryn Hill blames 'threats' for not paying taxes

Lauryn Hill blamed threats to her family for her failure to pay several years of taxes, pleading for leniency before her sentencing for failing to file tax returns between 2005 and 2007.

The former Fugees singer filed legal documents ahead of her April 22 sentencing, asking for probation so she can more quickly pay off her debt to Uncle Sam.

In the documents, obtained by TMZ, Hill said she stopped paying taxes "when she withdrew from society at large due to what she perceived as manipulation and very real threats to herself and her family."

Hill pleaded guilty to three charges of failing to file federal income tax returns in June 2012. She owes more than $1.6 million and faces up to three years in prison.