Wesley Snipes

[sanlee 49]

panachereoprt.com

 

Wesley Snipes is a daddy ... again. TMZ has learned that the actor's wife, Nikki, gave birth to son Alimayu Moa-T on Monday.

Both mom and baby are doing fine. Alimayu is the couple's third child together. Wesley also has a child from a previous relationship.

[BobbyD 2]

Man Linked to Snipes' Case Sentenced

 

A man who contended that he was not required to pay income tax, and whose case led to an indictment against actor Wesley Snipes, was sentenced Tuesday to 27 months in prison.

 

Arthur L. Farnsworth, 43, of Sellersville, was also fined $500 and ordered to cooperate with Internal Revenue Service investigators in documenting his finances and beginning to pay his tax debt of almost $83,000, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported on its Web site.

 

He told the jury that his own research had convinced him that federal tax payments were voluntary. Prosecutors argued that his research was created to cover his political beliefs.

 

Prosecutors said Farnsworth transferred his money to overseas bank accounts and put it into bogus trusts to try to hide his income. A raid on his home in 2002 found documents detailing some of the trust funds, leading to a nationwide probe of fraudulent trusts. That led to charges against other people, including Snipes, the star of the "Blade" movies.

 

Snipes, who is awaiting trial, has said he is a scapegoat and was unfairly targeted by prosecutors, and he has suggested he was taken advantage of.

 

(Earlier story mistakenly said Snipes starred in "Blade Runner" movie. )

[QTPIE 0]

Snipes claims Fla. racism in trial request

 

ASSOCIATED PRESS

 

OCALA, Fla. -- Wesley Snipes claims a central Florida county is too racist to allow the black actor to get a fair trial on tax evasion charges.

 

In a motion filed this week in U.S. District Court, Snipes' lawyer Robert Bernhoft argued that the U.S. Attorney's Office willfully selected the Marion County seat of Ocala as the site of the trial because prosecutors "deliberately chose the most racially discriminatory venue available to the government with the best possibility of an all-white southern jury where Snipes has never resided."

 

Snipes' motion filed Monday seeks to have the charges dismissed or moved to New York.

 

Snipes' co-defendant Eddie Ray Kahn operated his Guiding Light of God Ministries, which prosecutors claim provided tax evasion information, from neighboring Lake County.

 

The motion describes the area as "a hotbed of Klan activity where the Klan adopted highways to commemorate the Klan and the Confederate flag flies over government property."

 

Steve Cole, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida in Tampa, said prosecutors would have no comment on Snipes' motion, adding that it any response would be made in court. Bernhoft didn't immediately return calls seeking comment today.

 

Chief Assistant State Attorney Ric Ridgway dismissed the racism argument.

 

"That's perhaps the most outrageous claim I've ever heard made in open court," Ridgway said. "I've been practicing here since 1983. I've never seen any evidence that there was racism here any more than anywhere else in the country. I think a person can get as fair a trial here as anywhere."

 

Bernhoft hired the Public Opinion Research Laboratory of the University of North Florida to survey potential jurors.

 

The survey indicates "a greater level of racial bias in Ocala" than in the Southern District of New York, according to a report filed with the motion. Among other questions, the survey asked whether respondents saw the Confederate flag as a symbol of pride instead of prejudice. In Ocala, 63.2 percent of respondents answered yes, compared with 33 percent in the New York district.

 

Chief Assistant Public Defender Bill Miller said he never felt he couldn't get a fair trial in Ocala.

 

"I've never filed such a motion in any of my cases," Miller said. "If I felt I needed to, I would have."

 

Snipes' case is scheduled to go to trial in January. Snipes, 45, has appeared in "Blade," ''Major League" and "White Men Can't Jump," among other films.

[BobbyD 2]

(Pagesix.com)

 

Snipes: Tax Rap Is 'racism'

 

WESLEY Snipes, who's charged with eight counts of tax fraud, is playing the race card. The star tells Entertainment Weekly, "It was easy for people to jump on the 'Wesley's the bad guy' bandwagon. That's where I think the systematic racism comes in. We're conditioned in this country to believe that if there's a problem, the black man is the culprit." As for being in Namibia when federal prosecutors were looking for him, Snipes said, "They positioned it like, 'He's irresponsible, dangerous, guilty, this is why he's in Africa' . . . All these things, they play into our stereotypes . . . They think I'm an evil dude." Snipes even blames racism for the failure of his 2004 movie, "Blade: Trinity," saying, "There are so few guys who do action and do it well. Even fewer who are African-American. Even fewer who have classical-theater training. So a cat like me coming in, I'm bringing all of that to an action movie. Since there are so few people that do this and have that pedigree, people disregard their contribution." Snipes' case is scheduled to go to trial next month in Florida.

[Bette Davis 0]

Action star Wesley Snipes, 45, is due to stand trial next month (Jan 08) in Florida on charges he fraudulently claimed tax refunds of almost $12 million in 1996 and 1997. He is also accused of failing to file tax returns from 1999 to 2004. There will be a lot of articles written about Snipes, and most will play up the ‘I’m a Victim of Racism’ angle based on some quotes Wesley made in a recent interview.

While Snipes flatly denies all of the government’s charges against him and insists that he filed returns for all of the years in question, he may be splitting hairs, which I will get to in a moment. Snipes admits that yes, with the assistance of financial adviser Eddie Ray Kahn and his long-distance accountant Douglas P. Rosile) he did request refunds totaling $11.4 million for 1996 and 1997 taxes he paid, he never did so with the intent to defraud the IRS. Instead, he claims he was merely following the counsel of his advisers and that he never received those refunds.

Snipes admits that these refund requests may have been a bit aggressive (they allegedly hinge on a discredited tax-protester gambit called the ‘861 argument,’ which claims that the domestic income of U.S. citizens is not taxable). This is what I think will unfortunately prove to be Wesley’s downfall. The ‘861 argument’ as mentioned above was a tax-protest basically saying that income from sources in the United States is not subject to federal income tax. A lot of people thought this was a legitimate loophole for not filing returns and while some folks luckly slipped through the cracks at first the IRS caught on and went after others with great force.

Snipes says that the reason the IRS is targeting him has nothing to do with money at all, but rather his fame — that his arrest would be a high-profile trophy to deter others from claiming similar refunds. And he may be spot on with that assessment. As a high profile celebrity there was no way his essentially (if perhaps naively) thumbing his nose at the US Government was going to go unnoticed nor unpunished.

With 5 straight movies Snipes has participated in, going directly to DVD he is not exactly on a roll right now with his movie career either. Snipes says he just wants to get back to work. He’s particularly excited by the prospect of playing James Brown in a biopic that Spike Lee has been developing.

But unfortunately Snipes’ career isn’t the only thing that’s in jeopardy. His freedom is too. With his trial starting next month Wesley Snipes will stand before a jury that may convict him and send him to prison for 16 years.

 

 

hotmamagossip

[NYCat 1]

Wesley Snipes trial stays in Ocala, Fla.

 

Wesley Snipes' federal tax-evasion trial will go forward next month in this central Florida city, despite arguments by the actor's lawyers.

 

The rulings were made by U.S. District Judge William T. Hodges on Monday, according to court documents.

 

A telephone message left for Snipes' attorney wasn't immediately returned Thursday morning.

 

His lawyers had claimed the 45-year-old actor cannot get a fair trial in Ocala, located about 80 miles north of Orlando. Snipes previously filed two motions to dismiss or transfer the trial because of racial prejudices.

 

Federal prosecutors have previously said there is "no basis in reality" for Snipes' claims.

 

An October 2006 federal indictment charges Snipes with fraudulently claiming refunds totaling almost $12 million in 1996 and 1997 for income taxes already paid. The star of the "Blade" trilogy and other films also was charged with failure to file returns from 1999 through 2004.

 

Snipes allegedly conspired with American Rights Litigators founder Eddie Ray Kahn and tax preparer Douglas P. Rosile Sr. to file false refund claims based on a bogus argument that only income from foreign sources was subject to taxation.

 

Lawyers argued Snipes had the right to a trial in New York, where he lived between October 2000 and April 2005 when the offenses allegedly occurred, or in Orlando, where he also has a home.

[QTPIE 0]

Wesley Snipes' Attorneys File Appeal To Have Tax Evasion Trial Moved From Central Florida

 

 

OCALA, Fla. (AP) - Wesley Snipes is trying again to have his federal tax-evasion trial moved from this central Florida city.

 

Snipes' lawyer, Robert Barnes, filed a motion with a federal appeals court in Atlanta on Friday, arguing that U.S. District Judge William T. Hodges erred last month when he denied Snipes' motions to relocate and postpone the trial.

 

The actor's legal team argued Snipes cannot get a fair trial in Ocala, located about 80 miles north of Orlando. Snipes previously filed two motions to dismiss or transfer the trial because of racial prejudices.

 

Barnes also filed a motion Friday to put the trial - scheduled to begin Jan. 14 - on hold until the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rules on the change of venue request.

 

A telephone message left for Snipes' attorney was not returned.

 

Federal prosecutors have previously said there is ''no basis in reality'' for Snipes' claims.

 

A federal indictment charges Snipes with fraudulently claiming refunds totaling almost $12 million in 1996 and 1997 for income taxes already paid. The 45-year-old star of the ''Blade'' trilogy and other films also was charged with failure to file returns from 1999 through 2004.

 

Snipes allegedly conspired with American Rights Litigators' founder Eddie Ray Kahn and tax preparer Douglas P. Rosile Sr. to file false refund claims based on a bogus argument that only income from foreign sources was subject to taxation.

 

Lawyers argued Snipes had the right to a trial in New York, where he lived between October 2000 and April 2005 when the offenses allegedly occurred, or in Orlando, where he also has a home.

___

[nsmallaz 0]

Wesley Snipes' Tax Fraud and Conspiracy Trial Opens in Ocala, Fla.

Monday , January 14, 2008

 

 

 

ADVERTISEMENTOCALA, Fla. —

 

Attorneys for Wesley Snipes ticked off more than 70 potential character witnesses, including several celebrities, as jury selection began Monday in the actor's tax fraud and conspiracy trial.

 

Muhammad Ali, Spike Lee, Tom Brokaw, Barbara Walters, Woody Harrelson, Sylvester Stallone and Gus Van Sant were among the names mentioned.

 

Snipes, 45, and two co-defendants, both known tax protesters, are accused of conspiring to defraud the U.S. of millions of dollars. Snipes allegedly first collaborated with Eddie Ray Kahn and Douglas P. Rosile in 2000, then stopped filing tax returns.

 

Prosecutors say he fraudulently tried to retrieve $11 million in paid 1996 and 1997 taxes and directed his movie companies to stop withholding taxes from employees.

 

Snipes, who starred in the "Blade" movies, faces up to 16 years in prison if convicted, while Kahn and Rosile face 10 years.

 

His case has been delayed twice because of his commitments and the huge volume of paperwork in the case.

 

Jury selection was expected to conclude Monday, with opening arguments beginning Tuesday.

 

Snipes had tried unsuccessfully to get his trial moved from this central Florida town, arguing it was racist and he couldn't get a fair hearing. The pool of 37 potential jurors were predominantly white, and Senior Judge William Terrell Hodges moved through them slowly.

 

Most had heard of the case, but not extensively.

 

Before court, Snipes appeared at a vigil with the leaders of several predominantly black churches. The pastors followed Snipes to the courthouse and continued to watch when jury selection began.

[ElleDriver 0]

Snipes' defense rests in tax fraud trial

AP

 

OCALA, Fla. - The defense in the tax fraud and conspiracy trial of Wesley Snipes rested Monday.

 

Snipes, Eddie Ray Kahn and Douglas P. Rosile were named in an eight-count indictment. Snipes and the co-defendants allegedly stopped filing his federal tax returns in 2000, demanded some $11 million in refunds on taxes previously paid and tried to settle other U.S. Treasury debts with fake checks.

 

All three were charged tax fraud and conspiracy, while Snipes faced six additional charges of willful failure to file a return from 1999 to 2004. The 45-year-old actor, star of the "Blade" films, faces a potential sentence of 16 years in prison, while Kahn and Rosile could get 10. However, sentences that long are extremely rare in these cases.

 

"We chose not to call witnesses because there was no need to. The government prosecutors have put on a case that simply does not come close to meeting the standard of its burden of proof," Snipes' attorney Daniel Meachum said in a statement.

 

The trial, which had been expected to last a month, opened Jan. 14. The prosecution rested Friday.

 

"It was obvious after we went over the evidence the government presented that we could move on to closing arguments immediately and get a just acquittal for Wesley on all counts listed in the indictment," Meachum said.

 

Snipes' attorneys said he was the victim of unscrupulous accountants and sincerely believed he didn't have to pay taxes.

 

Closing arguments were scheduled Tuesday.

[QTPIE 0]

Snipes' Lawyers Don't Call a Single Witness

Actor Wesley Snipes' defense team in his tax and conspiracy trial rested on Monday, did not calla single witness.

 

The "Blade" star stands accused of conspiring to defraud the U.S. out of millions of dollars in 2000 as part of a conspiracy scheme with co-defendants Eddie Ray Kahn and Douglas Rosile, and then failing to file tax returns.

 

But Snipes' legal team is so certain the case against the 45-year-old will be thrown out of court, no defense witnesses were summoned to take the stand.

 

The prosecution rested its case on Friday.

 

Snipes' attorney Daniel Meachum says, "We chose not to call witnesses because there was no need to. The government prosecutors have put on a case that simply does not come close to meeting the standard of its burden of proof.

 

"It was obvious after we went over the evidence the government presented that we could move on to closing arguments immediately and get a just acquittal for Wesley on all counts listed in the indictment."

 

Snipes faces up to 16 years in prison if convicted, while Kahn and Rosile both face a maximum 10-year sentence.

[ElleDriver 0]

Wesley Snipes Acquitted of Tax Fraud

PEOPLE

 

 

Wesley Snipes was acquitted of tax fraud but was convicted of failure to file his taxes, in a Florida courtroom Friday.

 

Snipes, 45, who was convicted of three misdemeanor counts of failing to file a tax return, faces up to three years in federal prison. His income over that period of time in which he failed to file amounted to millions of dollars.

 

He was acquitted of two felonies, including conspiracy to commit tax fraud and filing a false claim. He was also acquitted of three misdemeanor counts of willful failure to file a tax return.

 

The actor, who is out free on bond, told PEOPLE: "I'm feeling great – a little confused, but great." Asked if he is worried about going to prison, he said, "I don't know. It's nice to be out here with you right now. We live in the moment."

 

A Florida jury of seven women and five men announced the verdict Friday afternoon, after beginning deliberations Wednesday.

 

During the course of the trial, attorneys for the actor admitted he was "dead wrong" not to have paid taxes and that he would make restitution. In so arguing, they also claimed that no fraud was perpetrated and that no trial was even necessary.

 

"Disagreement with the IRS is not fraud of the IRS, is not deception," argued defense attorney Robert Barnes.

 

When the day's session concluded on Tuesday, Snipes said outside the courthouse, "Of course you would be nervous,. You're on trial. Anybody would have a certain amount of anxiety about that. But I have a great deal of faith in the Most High and the Good Lord and the truth shall set you free. So, I'm looking forward to being free, going back to what I do best."

 

Snipes, who starred in the Blade vampire trilogy, as a cross-dresser in To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar and as a fugitive in U.S. Marshals, is due to be seen later this year in Gallowwalker, which was shot in the African nation of Namibia.

 

Snipes was convicted along with his accountant and the founder of a tax-protest outfit called American Rights Litigators.

 

"The defendants know what the law is, they just don't like the law," Assistant U.S. Attorney Scotland Morris told the jury members before they went to verdict. "The defendants are tax protesters."

[Lea 0]

Guilty (And Not Guilty)

 

 

A federal jury in Ocala, FL found Wesley Snipes guilty of three misdemeanor charges of not filing tax returns. They found him not guilty of fraud, conspiracy and three other counts of not filing a tax return. If he was found guilty of all charges, he would have faced 16 years in prison. Wesley now faces up to 3 years in the slammer for the three minor charges.

 

Wesley was indicted in 2006, because he didn't file a tax return from 1994 to 2004 even though he made more than $10 million from the Blade movies.

 

Please sentence him to 3 years! 3 more years without another Blade movie is good news for us all.

 

Wesley better thank the stars he's famous. If that shit happened to us, we would be getting soap bar raped for the next 16 years and that's the truth!

 

http://www.dlisted.com/

[Cutielb99 0]

At home sick on the sofa. Just saw Wesley Snipes in a Total Gym commercial with Chuck Norris. Oh how the mighty have fallen.

[MissuTam 85]

At home sick on the sofa. Just saw Wesley Snipes in a Total Gym commercial with Chuck Norris. Oh how the mighty have fallen.

ROFLMAO!!!!!

[ElleDriver 0]

Prosecutors Recommend Wesley Snipes Serve Three Years For Tax Evasion

 

Wesley Snipes will serve three years behind bars and fined $5 million for tax evasion charges, if prosecutors get their way. The actor was convicted of failing to file his taxes for five years in February, and now prosecutors want a Florida judge to make an example of the star by handing him the maximum sentence possible as punishment for showing a "brazen defiance" of tax legislation.

 

In legal papers filed in a Florida court on Monday, Attorney Robert O'Neill says, "This case cries out for the statutory maximum term of imprisonment, as well as a substantial fine, because of the seriousness of defendant Snipes' crimes and because of the singular opportunity this case presents to deter tax crime nationwide."

 

While Snipes was found guilty of not filing his tax returns, he was acquitted of the more serious charges of tax fraud and filing a false claim, as well as three misdemeanour counts of willful failure to file a tax return with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

 

Snipes has yet to comment on the prosecutors' recommendation. He is due to be sentenced on April 24./WENN

[ElleDriver 0]

Wesley Snipes turns to Denzel Washington, Woody Harrelson in bid to stay out of jail

OrlandoSentinel.com

 

 

Defense lawyers for actor Wesley Snipes called upon his Hollywood friends Wednesday as they lobbied a judge to put Snipes on probation for tax crimes, suggesting that imprisoning the film star would be a "travesty."

 

In a memorandum filed in advance of Thursday's sentencing in federal court in Ocala, the defense team attached character-building testimonials for Snipes from fellow actors Denzel Washington and Woody Harrelson.

 

The documents also include a letter of support from TV's "Judge Joe Brown."

 

Washington compared Snipes to a "mighty oak" while Harrelson, who co-starred with Snipes in "Wildcats," "White Men Can't Jump," and "Money Train," praised the Orlando-born actor as his friend of more than 20 years.

 

"He strives for rightness in all his relations and I realized early on what a true citizen of the world Wes is," Harrelson wrote in a letter, dated March 24. "He respects a healthy debate, as do I, and we've had some memorable ones over the years which have influenced my thoughts and emotions. Wes seeks solutions and resolutions rather than sitting back and watching the horrors and injustices that plague our world."

 

Federal prosecutors previously filed a memorandum asking Senior U.S. District Court Judge William Terrell Hodges to impose a three-year prison sentence and levy a minimum fine of $5 million on Snipes, who was found guilty of three misdemeanor counts of willfully failing to file a tax return.

 

He was acquitted of two felony counts, accusing him of conspiracy and fraudulently seeking a $7 million tax refund.

 

Prosecutors contend the actor conspired with Lake County anti-tax guru Eddie Ray Kahn in efforts to cheat the government out of more than $40 million in tax debts. Kahn, 64, who has declined interview requests, faces up to 10 years in prison Thursday.

 

Submitted by the movie star's co-counsel, Linda Moreno of Tampa, the defense's sentencing appeal says "Mr. Snipes has led an otherwise exemplary life and is deeply sorry for his wrongful conduct. He has retained reputable tax professionals to assist him in resolving his tax liability and will make amends."

 

The document also outlines a life history for the actor, a father of five children.

 

Born in Orlando, Snipes moved to New York as infant with his mother who reared him "in a working-class family of quite modest means," according to the filing. In New York, he attended the prestigious High School of the Performing Arts while working odd jobs to help his mother.

 

The family returned to Florida while Snipes was a teen and he graduated from Jones High School.

 

"At each point in his young life, he worked hard to better himself and stay out of trouble in an environment that graduated more young men to a life of crime, drugs and at times violent death than to the life of accomplishment that Wesley wanted for himself and worked hard to achieve," the lawyers wrote in the document.

 

His mother still lives in Orlando in a house his son bought.

 

The defense team also asked the judge to consider "the emotional and psychological needs of (Snipes') young children in rejecting the lengthy sentence sought by prosecutors." Defense lawyers also took issue with federal prosecutors who said Snipes' case "cries out" for the maximum possible sentence. Snipes' defense team disputes the government's estimated tax loss from the crimes.

 

Where prosecutors say Snipes owed $2 million in 1999, defense lawyers say his debt was about $150,000.

 

Where prosecutors say Snipes owed $5 million in 2001, defense lawyers say his debt was about $220,000.

 

Snipes' lawyers specifically assailed a prosecution view that the judge needs to mete out a severe punishment to "send a message that Snipes did not 'beat the rap.' "The government's view that Snipes ought to serve as an example "approaches...vindictiveness," the defense argued in its written plea to the judge.

 

Stressing that Snipes was convicted of misdemeanors and no felonies, defense lawyers also pointed out that prison was not part of the sentences issued to other tax-dodging celebrities like singers Marc Anthony and Willie Nelson.

 

Anthony, who never faced criminal charges, agreed last year to pay $2.5 million in back taxes to federal and state governments after failing to file tax returns on $15.5 million that he earned over a period of five years.

 

Nelson, the pig-tailed, country music star who crooned "Mama Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys," owed a cumulative $17 million in back taxes, according to the IRS, which settled the debt for $6.5 million.

 

Songwriter Norman Whitfield, who co-wrote "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," received six-months house arrest and a $25,000 fine after pleading guilty to one count of felony tax evasion in 2005.

 

And on April 15, tax day, billionaire Igor Olenicoff was sentenced to 120 hours of community service and a two-year probation as part of a criminal tax case. Olenicoff, whose personal fortune has been estimated at $1.7 billion, also agreed to pay $52 million to the IRS.

 

The punishment in those cases "point out the travesty of imprisoning Wesley Snipes for his misdemeanor convictions," defense lawyers said in a conclusion that asks for probation "with whatever conditions the court deems just and proper."

[ElleDriver 0]

Wesley Snipes Faces Sentencing In Florida

 

OCALA, Fla. (AP) - Wesley Snipes is in central Florida to learn his punishment for three misdemeanor tax convictions. A jury found the 45-year-old action star guilty of willfully failing to file taxes for three years, in which the government said he owed $2.7 million.

 

Snipes was acquitted in February of three identical counts and two felony charges of tax fraud and conspiracy. Still, prosecutors are pressing the judge for the maximum sentence of three years in prison. They say Snipes is a ''notorious'' offender who dogged the IRS for years.

 

Snipes' attorneys say he deserves only probation for the misdemeanors. On Wednesday, they submitted three dozen letters from friends attesting to his character. Those coming to Snipes' aid included Denzel Washington and Woody Harrelson.

[ElleDriver 0]

Wesley Gets Three Years

TMZ

 

Wesley SnipesA judge just sentenced Wesley Snipes to three years in prison for tax evasion.

 

Snipes was convicted in February on three misdemeanor charges for not filing his taxes.

 

Story developing .

[BobbyD 2]

Snipes Sentenced To 36 Months

 

OCALA, Fla. -- Wesley Snipes was sentenced to 36 months in prison, Thursday.

 

Snipes was convicted of three misdemeanor charges for not filing his taxes. Three years was the maximum sentence allowed.

 

Snipes’ defense team spent the morning arguing that he should not have to go to prison.

 

Snipes appeared confident when he arrived at the federal courthouse Thursday morning.

 

In the pre-sentencing report, the probation department said that Snipes’ conduct could be construed as trying to obstruct the investigation. The report said that could be grounds to increase Snipes’ jail time.

 

Snipes had several character witness letters written by friends, including Woody Harrelson and Denzel Washington.

Copyright 2008 by WESH.COM. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[ElleDriver 0]

Snipes gets the max -- 3 years -- in tax case

 

(CNN) -- Actor Wesley Snipes was sentenced to three years in prison and fined up to $5 million Thursday for evading federal income taxes, CNN affiliate WESH is reporting.

 

It was the maximim sentence possible under federal sentencing guidelines.

 

Prosecutors last week urged U.S. District Judge William Hodges in Ocala, Florida, to sentence Snipes to the maximum penalty to demonstrate to taxpayers that refusal to pay income taxes carries severe penalties.

 

Snipes was convicted on three misdemeanor counts of failure to file federal income tax returns.

 

"This case presents the court with a singular opportunity to deter tax fraud nationwide," the government said in its sentencing recommendation. VideoWatch more on Snipes' defense »

 

Snipes, who has starred in movies such as "Blade," "Major League" and "Murder at 1600," had been charged with felony conspiracy counts for participating in a scheme that rejects the legal foundation of the tax system. However, a jury accepted his argument that he was innocently duped by errant tax advisers and acquitted him on the most serious charges.

 

"The fact that Snipes was acquitted on two felony charges and convicted 'only' on three misdemeanor counts has been portrayed in the mainstream media as a 'victory' for Snipes," the government document says.

 

"The troubling implication of such coverage for the millions of average citizens who are aware of this case is that the rich and famous Wesley Snipes has 'gotten away with it.' In the end the criminal conduct of Snipes must not be seen in such a light."

 

Assistant Attorney General Nathan Hochman, head of the Justice Department's Tax Division, last week promised to beef up the government's efforts to pursue those engaged in a variety of schemes making legal assertions that income taxes are either voluntary or unconstitutional.

 

"For nearly a decade Snipes has engaged in a campaign of criminal tax conduct combining brazen defiance with insidious concealment," the prosecutors say. "By these means Snipes has escaped paying more than $15 million in income tax to the IRS and has pursued an intended fraudulent harm to the United States Treasury of more than $41 million."

 

The document says Snipes shipped millions of dollars to accounts in Switzerland, Antigua and the Isle of Man to avoid taxes.

 

"Given defendant's income, earning capacity, and financial resources, both disclosed and undisclosed, the United States submits that a fine of at least $5 million is warranted," the sentencing recommendation says.

 

The 35-page argument for the stiffest possible penalty ends with a dramatic flair.

 

"In the defendant Wesley Snipes, the court is presented with a wealthy, famous and inveterate tax scofflaw. If ever a tax offender was deserving of being held accountable to the maximum extent for his criminal wrongdoing, Snipes is that defendant," it says.

 

The IRS is also seeking repayment of all taxes and interest through civil court proceedings.

[sanlee 49]

These judges aren't playing with celebs lately!

[hedda_louella 1]

These judges aren't playing with celebs lately!

True enough and in this case it couldn't happen to a more deserving asshole.

 

Somehow, I thought he'd already gotten off on these charges. Were there other charges and I'm mixing them up or have I lost the plot completely?

[Avalon 0]

I thought he got off the conspiracy, fraud and tax evasion and this sentence is for not filing his claims. Might be wrong though.

[onchic2000 0]

I think that there were eight counts against him and he got off on five of them, but got a year for each of the 3 remaining. I could be wrong, but I think that is what I heard on the news this morning while I was getting ready for work.

[ElleDriver 0]

Actor Snipes gets 3 years, apologizes for `costly mistakes'

 

 

 

OCALA, Fla. (AP) — After haggling with revenue agents, criminal investigators and eventually U.S. prosecutors for almost a decade, Wesley Snipes finally caught them by surprise.

 

Hours before he was to be sentenced Thursday for failing to file income taxes he insisted he never had to pay, the action star cut the federal government three checks for $5 million, delivered in court.

 

So taken aback were prosecutors that they first declined the cash. But by the end of the day, the government took the money and more — a maximum three-year sentence for its highest-profile criminal tax target in decades.

 

"The sentencing court sends the right message to the American taxpayer — you've got to pay your taxes," U.S. Attorney Robert O'Neill told reporters outside the usually quiet central Florida courthouse. "Rich, poor, it doesn't matter. We all pay our taxes."

 

Though Snipes was convicted of three counts of willfully failing to file returns, his trial was held by some as proof of victory for the tax protest movement. Snipes was acquitted of five other charges, including felony tax fraud and conspiracy, that would've exposed him to 13 more years in prison.

 

Criminal tax prosecutions are relatively rare — usually the cases are handled in civil court, where the government has a lower burden of proof.

 

Snipes' attorneys argued the sentence was too stiff for a first-time offender convicted of three misdemeanors, and recommended he be given home detention and ordered to make public service announcements.

 

But U.S. District Judge William Terrell Hodges said Snipes exhibited a "history of contempt over a period of time" for U.S. tax laws.

 

"In my mind these are serious crimes, albeit misdemeanors," Hodges said.

 

The action star of the "Blade" trilogy, "White Men Can't Jump," "Jungle Fever" and other films hasn't filed a tax return since 1998, the government alleged. Snipes and the IRS still must determine how much he owes, plus interest and penalties. The government alleged Snipes made at least $13.8 million for the three years in question, owing at least $2.7 million in back taxes on them alone.

 

Snipes read aloud from a prepared apology, calling his actions "costly mistakes" but never mentioning the word "taxes." He said he was the victim of crooked advisers, a liability of wealth and celebrity that attract "wolves and jackals like flies are attracted to meat."

 

"I am an idealistic, naive, passionate, truth-seeking, spiritually motivated artist, unschooled in the science of law and finance," Snipes said.

 

His lawyers said he was no threat to society, and offered three dozen letters from family members, friends and even fellow actors Woody Harrelson and Denzel Washington attesting to his compassion, intelligence and value as a mentor. They called four character witnesses Thursday, including television's Judge Joe Brown, who incited applause from the gallery by suggesting Snipes was no different than "mega-corporate entities" that legally avoid taxes.

 

Hodges twice halted the proceedings to quiet the crowd, threatening to clear everyone out if they made another outburst.

 

Snipes' co-defendants, Douglas P. Rosile and Eddie Ray Kahn, were convicted on both felony counts on which the actor was acquittal. Kahn, who refused to defend himself in court, was sentenced to the maximum 10 years, while Rosile received 4 1/2 years. Both will serve three years of supervised release.

 

Snipes and Rosile remain free and will be notified when they are to surrender to authorities. Defense attorney Carmen Hernandez signaled in court that Snipes would pursue an appeal.

 

Kahn was the founder of American Rights Litigators, and a successor group, Guiding Light of God Ministries, that purported to help members legally avoid paying taxes. Snipes was a dues-paying member of the organization, and Rosile, a de-licensed accountant, prepared Snipes' paperwork.

 

The actor maintained in a yearslong battle with the IRS he did not have to pay taxes, using fringe arguments common to "tax protesters" who say the government has no legal right to collect. After joining Kahn's group, the government said, Snipes instructed his employees to stop paying their own taxes and sought $11 million in 1996 and 1997 taxes he legally paid.

 

Defense attorneys Hernandez and Daniel Meachum said Snipes was unfairly targeted because he's famous. Meachum called prosecutors "big game hunters," selectively prosecuting the actor while Kahn's some 4,000 other clients remained free.

 

Hodges was not swayed.

 

"One of the main purposes which drives selective prosecution in tax cases is deterrence," the judge said, while denying it had anything to do with his sentence. "In some instances, that means those of celebrity stand greater risk of prosecution. But there's nothing unusual about it, nor is there anything unlawful about it. It's the way the system works."

 

Copyright © 2008 The Associated Press.