‘Empire’ Star Terrence Howard Reportedly Under Investigation for Criminal Tax Evasion

Empire star Terrence Howard is reportedly under investigation for alleged criminal tax evasion.

The Blast reports that both Howard and his third wife Mira — whom he divorced then got back together with — are being investigated by federal agents on the suspicion that they could have committed tax crimes.

Howard has reportedly hired an attorney who specializes in these types of of situations, and has already had official meetings with federal investigators.

The new report comes after a separate report earlier this year that indicated Howard had a $140,000 tax lien placed on him by the State of California.

The state’s Franchise Tax Board filed the lien, and stated that if the actor failed to pay off the debt then it could come down to his assets and property being seized by the government.

Howard previously dealt with tax issues in the past. In 2010 the IRS hit him with a $1.1 million payment and in 2006 they claimed that he owed $600,000.

The Lucious Lyon actor is not the only Empire star to face legal trouble this year, as Jussie Smollett — who plays his son Jamal — wound up in court over allegedly faking a hate crime attack.

Ultimately, all of the charges against Smollett were dropped, prompting his lawyers to issue a statement: “Today, all criminal charges against Jussie Smollett were dropped and his record has been wiped clean of the filing of this tragic complaint against him. Jussie was attacked by 2 people he was unable to identify on January 29th.”

“He was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public, causing an inappropriate rush to judgment,” the statement continued.

“Jussie and many others were hurt by these unfair and unwarranted actions. This entire situation is a reminder that there should never be an attempt to prove a case in the court of public opinion. That is wrong. It is a reminder that a victim, in this case Jussie, deserves dignity and respect. Dismissal of charges against the victim in this case was the only just result,” the statement concluded.

Smollett was initially removed from the most recent season of Empire due to the controversy, while he sorted out his legal issues, but has since been officially let go.

In a recent statement, series creator Lee Daniels said that “Jussie will NOT be returning to Empire” for its upcoming final season.