Richmond County, Oct 6 (THAINDIAN NEWS) Grammy award winning singer Method Man, whose real name is Clifford Smith has been arrested for evading his taxes. He owes the state nearly $33,000 in taxes in the previous years through 2004-07.

Smith surrendered himself to the NYPD Detective Squad of the Richmond County District Attorney’s Office on Monday, District Attorney Danield Donovan, Jr. and New York State Department of Taxation and Finance Acting Commissioner Jamie Woodward announced.

The 38-year-old rapper, who is a member of the platinum-selling rap group Wu-Tang Clan Method Man told The New York Daily News that the reason behind the oversight is simple: “Myself, I’m a pothead. It’s no secret. Everyone knows that. I go on the road and forget everything else. Sure, [the tax department] sent letters to my house saying, ‘We need this money.’ They started sending them in 2002. . . ”

Clifford Smith said that “Because I got high, I forgot to pay. It was stupid. I’m an idiot for that.”

The case against Smith is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey Curiale of the Investigations Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Mario F. Mattei, Chief of the Investigations Bureau. Smith is being represented by Peter Frankel, Esq.