*Unfortunately for Wesley Snipes he’s going to have to serve three years in federal prison because he lost his appeal on a conviction of tax evasion.
The action actor was first found guilty in 2008 of dodging more than $15 million in taxes on income earned during the peak of his career.
Snipes’ lawyers tried to convince the court that his tax advisers, who also received jail terms, had convinced him there were no laws binding him to pay tax and that the sentence was “unreasonable.”
Even a letter from Denzel Washington to the District Court judge who upheld it, could not be persuaded.
“Wesley is like a mighty oak tree,” Washington wrote, “Many who know him have witnessed the fruit of his labours. I have sat in his shade and even been protected by his presence.”
A number of other showbusiness friends, including actors, a costume designer and even a daytime TV judge, also provided glowing character references. But their appeal fell on deaf ears, reports The Daily Mail.
Snipes, 47, was convicted of three counts of failing to file tax returns from 1999 to 2001, but was acquitted of felony fraud and conspiracy charges.
I am waiting for you guys to chime in on this one, since i have no knowledge of this type of law. Is this sentence too harsh or was it fair?
Oak tree huh? If he was so tough, he wouldn’t need anybody to speak for him…I used to really like Wes’ but he’s being a punk who wants to run away from HIS mess!..Oak trees “can’t” run. Stand through the storm…stand up fool!!
I hope his women and assets are still intact once he returns.
Wow, that’s unfortunate. I really thought he’d beat this. I don’t have knowledge of this type of law either Cappaucino, but just going off my instincts, I think three years in prison is excessive. I think this country deems prison an acceptable solution for EVERYTHING and that makes no sense to me. If the guy’s tax advisors were found guilty and are now sitting in prison, it seems that it’s entirely plausible that he was in the dark and is genuinely a victim of them. Seems like there would be some leniency there…but no dice. Must go to prison. That’s the answer to everything I guess. A fine and paying back taxes is not enough. Must fill up the prisons with non-violent offenders. Tis the American way.
On another note, I wonder if Snipes’ lawyers still get paid the full amount. They didn’t get the job done, so it seems like they haven’t earned the dough.
P.S. I just absolutely love Denzel. It’s no surprise to me that he would stand up for his friend like this.
“On another note, I wonder if Snipes’ lawyers still get paid the full amount. They didn’t get the job done, so it seems like they haven’t earned the dough.” T, I work in civil law, but I know, be it civil or criminal, once you incur a bill, even if it’s an attorney’s bill, you owe that bill, win or lose. If Wes refuses to pay his attorneys’ bill, they can sue him and attach a lien to ANY of his property. I know that personally, because my lawyers have done it on several occasions!
Most likely, there isn’t any “bill.” He probably had those lawyers on retainer, working around the clock for his stupid ass.
Cap, it is TOTALLY fair. Ron Isley just got finished serving 37 months.
Wesley Snipes is FULL OF SHIT. He didn’t think he had to pay taxes on $38 million??? EVERYBODY has to pay taxes!!!
Leona Helmsley went, Martha Stewart went …
Moral of the story: Don’t mess with the IRS!!!
Just because others have gone to jail too doesn’t mean the law is fair.
Personally, I think Martha Stewart’s sentence was ridiculous. But that’s just me.
T, if Martha hadn’t lied to the Feds she would never have done time. For better or worse, like it or not, it is the law!
Yeah, look at what happened to all those people. So how could he allow his “tax advisers to convince him there were no laws binding him to pay tax?
I know some yt ppl, like the ones you find in the Tea Party, make that argument and seem to get away with it.
But I wouldn’t advise anyone else to take that chance.
I agree, sometimes I like to ask an opinion when I am uncertain and what you said makes sense!
I also think that as a society we use jail as the solution to too many non-violent crimes; however, the minute Wesley advisors suggested that there was no law requiring him to pay taxes, he should have hired new advisors.
I do not like paying taxes due to waste, graft and corruption. But with the alternative being jail, I pay. Some years I have gotten refunds. Just pay the money. Shocking to me he just did not give up the cheddar.
Tax evasion is how they get EVERYBODY. That’s even how they got Al Capone when they couldn’t get him for murder, etc.
I don’t know how fair things are in terms of how many years/months he got compared to others but if I gotta pay mine, he gotta pay his.
These celebrities/businessmen and women/etc. who don’t pay are absolute morons. Perhaps they should go for general stupidity for even thinking they could get away with not paying.
Unless Wesley was involved in an on-going criminal enterprise where people were being defrauded or money was stolen, this is a non-violent civil matter. Putting someone in jail for this makes it a debtors prison. We supposely did away with those a long time ago. The Govt can make him pay with interest and penalties. They can even take his material shit. Instead, they want the taxpayers to pay 40k per year to feed and clothe a millionaire. WTF!!!