NEW YORK ( CNN ) -- Rapper and actor Clifford Smith , better known to fans as Method Man , was arrested Monday and faces charges of failing to pay taxes , the district attorney in Richmond County , New York , said . Clifford Smith , better known as Method Man , failed to file tax returns and owes $ 33,000 , authorities say . Smith , 38 , owes the state nearly $ 33,000 for New York State income tax returns that he did not file between 2004 and 2007 , district attorney Daniel Donovan Jr. said in a statement . The Grammy-winning rapper , an original member of the Wu-Tang Clan , was arrested at his home on Staten Island . He faces a felony charge of repeated failure to file taxes and a misdemeanor charge of failure to pay tax . The felony carries a sentence of up to four years in prison . Smith was to appear at an arraignment in Staten Island Criminal Court on Monday . Smith 's attorney Peter Frankel was not immediately available to comment .
Clifford Smith , aka Method Man , did n't file state income tax returns , authorities say . State of New York says he owes $ 33,000 for 2004-2007 . Felony charges carry four-year prison sentence .