NAMES IN THE NEWS : Foxx Gems on IRS Auction Block

Reed Foxx’s jewelry, including a diamond and gold watch given to him by Elvis Presley, will be auctioned by the Internal Revenue Service later this month.

The comedian, who starred as a junkman in the 1970s TV series “Sanford and Son,” owes the government $2.9 million in taxes and penalties, according to the IRS.

Seventy-six pieces of jewelry will be sold at the auction, scheduled for July 23 at IRS headquarters in Las Vegas, said auctioneer Robert Deiro. Included in Foxx’s collection is the watch Foxx says was a gift from Presley.

Deiro and IRS officials displayed the jewelry several months ago, but the auction was delayed while attorneys for the comedian argued that the bankruptcy court should have jurisdiction over the items.

The IRS auctioned eight of Foxx’s cars in May, raising $49,555.

The cars and jewelry were seized in an IRS raid last November, along with Foxx’s Las Vegas home. Attorneys later worked out a payment plan with the agency that allowed Foxx to keep his home.

Foxx has been performing at the Hacienda Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.