Wyclef Jean Owes $2.1 Million in Back Taxes, Says Report

NEW YORK (CBS) Wyclef Jean may be preparing to announce his candidacy for the presidency of Haiti, but he reportedly has a debt to settle in the United States.

According to The Smoking Gun, the hip-hop star owes the Internal Revenue Service more than $2.1 million for taxes due on his individual 1040 returns for 2006, 2007, and 2008.

The federal tax liens were filed over a period of three years. The first lien was filed in July 2007 for $792,269. Exactly one year later another lien was lodged against the musician in the amount of $599,167, and the final lien was filed in May for $724,332, reports The Smoking Gun.

Each of the liens were filed at the Bergen County clerk's office in New Jersey where Wyclef purchased a $1.85 million home in Saddle River.

This is bad news for the 37-year-old musician and budding politician, but it gets much worse.

During the earthquake that shook Haiti to its core, Jean set up the Wyclef Jean Foundation in order to rebuild the devastated county and help its people.

Despite the foundation's extensive cash flow problems, he reportedly used the money to pay himself and his partner, cousin Jerry Duplessis, more than $410,000 for rent, production services, and Jean's appearance at a benefit concert, says The Smoking Gun.

According to the site, people all over the world donated a total of millions of dollars to the The Wyclef Jean Foundation after the earthquake in Haiti; however, it is not clear how the money was spent.