The Rev. Al Sharpton’s “influence and visibility have reached new heights this year, fueled by his close relationships with the mayor and the president,” the New York Times reports.

“Obscured in his ascent, however, has been his troubling financial past, which continues to shadow his present. Mr. Sharpton has regularly sidestepped the sorts of obligations most people see as inevitable, like taxes, rent and other bills. Records reviewed by The New York Times show more than $4.5 million in current state and federal tax liens against him and his for-profit businesses. And though he said in recent interviews that he was paying both down, his balance with the state, at least, has actually grown in recent years. His National Action Network appears to have been sustained for years by not paying federal payroll taxes on its employees.”