By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Tuesday, July 26, 2016
The Internal Revenue Service last month filed a federal tax lien against "Real Housewives of Atlanta" cast member Sheree Whitfield for $4,011.20 in unpaid taxes for calendar year 2014.
Bossip broke the story. This afternoon, I went over to the Fulton County Superior Court to pick up the lien myself. After hunting around to find the right office, I finally found this lien and several others.
The IRS has filed tax liens on her multiple times going back to 2009. Collectively, the liens total a whopping $348,404.48.
Atlanta real estate attorney Brian Douglas looked at the liens. He saw no cancellations from the IRS indicating Whitfield has paid any of the liens But he said the IRS often doesn't get around to officially filing cancellations into the public record. So she might have paid off a portion or all of these taxes but it's simply not in the public record.
Douglas said it's easier for self-employed independent contractors to "forget" to pay taxes than folks who are on the payroll of a company where taxes are taken out before they even see the money. He said it appears reality stars such as those on "The Real Housewives" are deemed independent contractors by production companies and are responsible for paying their taxes in full themselves.
She's not the only local notable who has had trouble with the IRS. Kim Fields, who was on season eight of "Real Housewives of Atlanta" but is not coming back for season nine, owed $212,000 in federal taxes as of last fall, based on an IRS lien. And actress and comedienne Mo'Nique owes nearly $400,000 to the federal government as of early June.
Here is how much Whitfield owed each year, based on the liens:
2009: $572.58
2010: $41,180.25
2011: $111,226.58
2012: $125,594.81
2013: $9,133.64
2014: $4,011.20
Whitfield was a full-time member of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" for the first four seasons from 2008 through 2012 and returned in a more limited role in 2015-16. Various gossip sites say she has been shooting scenes for season nine but it's unknown if Bravo has rewarded her with a better-paid gig as a full-time cast member.
She sued an insurance company for $279,940.56 in January regarding a flooding situation at the home she has been building for several years she has dubbed Chateau Sheree.
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