Actor Wesley Snipes headed to prison for tax evasionReuters - November 19, 2010 9:40 PM PST celebs:Wesley Snipes topics: Legal Woes MIAMI (Reuters) - Actor Wesley Snipes was ordered on Friday to start serving a three-year prison sentence for failing to file income tax returns by a federal judge who rejected the Hollywood star's bid for a new trial. "The defendant Snipes had a fair trial ... The time has come for the judgment to be enforced," U.S. District Judge Terrell Hodges said in his ruling. Revoking bail for the 48-year-old star of the "Blade" trilogy, the judge ordered him to report to prison as directed by the U.S. Marshals Service or Bureau of Prisons. It was not clear when or where Snipes would begin serving his time behind bars, however. His lawyer, Daniel Meachum, has said he would appeal if a new trial was denied. Meachum told the Orlando Sentinel the ruling was shocking. "Wesley is very disappointed but staying strong and positive," the newspaper quoted Meachum as saying. Snipes had already lost his appeal of the prison sentence stemming from his 2008 conviction in Hodges' Ocala, Florida, court on three counts of "willful failure to file tax returns" for 1999 through 2001. Snipes was found not guilty of five other counts in the high-profile felony tax case. In seeking a new trial, Meachum had argued that jurors in the original trial were biased and that the prosecution's star witness had his own criminal problems. At his sentencing, prosecutors said Snipes, a resident of Windermere, Florida, had earned more than $38 million since 1999 but had filed no tax returns or paid any taxes through October 2006. Although he is best known for his roles in action films, Snipes has also had critical success in comedies like "White Men Can't Jump" in 1992. He played the lead in director Spike Lee's interracial drama "Jungle Fever" in 1991 and also played the jazz saxophonist in Lee's "Mo' Better Blues" in 1990. Eric Thompson, a supervisor in the U.S. Marshals Service office in Orlando, Florida, said the Bureau of Prisons would notify Snipes and his lawyer of a surrender date. "He'll probably get it by certified mail," Thompson said. He declined to say what prison was likely to be selected for Snipes except to say that it would not be in Florida. A listing for Snipes already posted on the Federal Bureau of Prisons website says his prisoner ID or registration number as 43355-018, his location is "in transit" and his release date is "unknown." ======================================================== the Fed's want their dough. they aint playing.
Guess we won't be seeing Blade 4 anytime. It's a shame he's going to jail at all, but especially so over taxes not being paid...
Wesley Snipes To Serve 3 Years in Prison Blade 4..we will have to see about that. May be under new banner of Touchstone picture with Marvel Studio if Disney decide if they wants it or not. Or they can just revamp the entire franchise. Touchstone Picture rated mostly PG-13. Rarely Rated R. Anyway, he's going to be in jail for only three years. Don't worry about it, time went by very fast, you see.
I guess when they decide where to send him we can all send him a sympathy card & $20 to use for the commissary. Something to the effect of...."sorry you were stupid & didn't pay your taxes like a dumb ass & got busted".
Yet not ONE executive who worked for Goldman Sachs, Bear Stearns, Solomon Brothers or JP Morgan Chase has been put in handcuffs. Cheat on your taxes....jail time. Collapse the global stock market and world economies by selling fraudulent mortgage-backed securities....Uncle Sam cuts you a trillion dollar check.:smt093 It sucks to be little.:smt076
these dudes don't pay taxes, not even the treasury secretary, they went after Wes to make an example because he woke up to the IRS/FED racket and was deep in the anti IRS movement.
They should all go to jail just like the rest of us peons would have to. I admit I don't have pity on folks who break the law, but it sucks that how people are punished based on who they are or what they have. LOL!
This may be a dumb question, but why didn't he pay his taxes? It's ashamed, he has such a beauitful wife and kids, he really should have been more responsible.
Wesley is part of a number of Americans that believes the federal income tax is unconstitutional...among other things http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_protester_(United_States) Many American's do not pay taxes without a problem, but if you become a public tax protester as Wes became the IRS will come after you. Wes knew the risk, and I give it to him for standing by his convictions, but I would never do the same thing if I had a family. Pay your tribute and keep it moving, he had too much to lose.
