Wesley Snipes was sentenced to three years in prison for three misdemeanor counts of failing to file tax returns — the maximum requested by federal prosecutors.

“Snipes’ long prison sentence should send a loud and crystal clear message to all tax defiers that if they engage in similar tax defier conduct, they face joining him,” said Assistant Attorney General Nathan J. Hochman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.

Federal prosecutors said the actor for nearly a decade escaped paying more than $15 million in income tax returns by sending money to overseas accounts, though they acknowledged in court that the amount is in dispute.

Before the sentencing, the actor asked the court to show mercy and offered three checks totaling $5 million as a gesture of good will.

The payments were accepted, but Assistant U.S. Attorney Scotland Morris said it was not enough.

Snipes’ attorneys are set to appeal the sentence.

Snipes has previously claimed racism as the reason for the charges, which would have been fair enough, of that was the truth. To cry racism as a means of cover for his own greed, makes light of genuine racism.

Justice has been served.

Wesley Snipes has taken a shot at the media for portraying him as a bad guy after he was charged with tax fraud, claiming he is the victim of racism.

Snipes is due to stand trial in Florida in January, on charges he fraudulently claimed tax refunds of almost $12m in 1996 and 1997. He is also accused of failing to file tax returns from 1999 to 2004.

Snipes denied that he tried to avoid charges by fleeing to Namibia, (a country that doesn’t have an extradition treaty with America) where he was shooting the movie Gallowwalker.

Snipes claims that he never received, nor claimed any tax refunds and claims the media biased reporting based on racial prejudice in the media. He also blames discrimination for the box office failure of his 2004 movie Blade Trinity.

Says snipes, “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.”
“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.”

I used to think Wesley was pretty cool, but to claim racism for his problems is a bit much. I don’t think racism has anything to do with his problems, maybe he has a bad business manager and simply does not keep an eye on his finances as well as he should.

You only have to look at the success and popularity of numerous of African-American actors such as Will Smith, Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, to name just a few to realise that racism is not the issue here. These guys are at the top in talent, and drawing power and no one is trying to bring them down with claims of tax evasion.

Actor Wesley Snipes was arrested when he flew into Orlando International Airport on Friday and voluntarily surrendered.

A warrant for his arrest, was issued in October. He is charged with fraudulently claiming nearly $12 million in tax refunds and failing to file returns from 1999 through 2004.

Snipes, had been filming the movie Gallowwalker in Namibia.

In court in Ocala, Fla., Friday morning, Snipes pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released on $1 million bond by Magistrate Gary Jones, who freed the actor to return to Namibia to continue filming. But he was ordered to return to the U.S. for another appearance on Jan. 10, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

If found guilty on the tax-fraud charges, Snipes could face up to 16 years in prison.

Now that would really suck. Good luck Wes.
[tags]wesley, snipes, arrested, tax, fraud[/tags]