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WESLEY SNIPES SAYS HE’S A SCAPEGOAT: Actor finally talks about his indictment on tax fraud.
*Wesley Snipes is speaking out about his Oct. 17 indictment on tax fraud. In an e-mail to a newspaper columnist, the actor says he’s being unfairly targeted by federal prosecutors who seem bent on nabbing famous faces.
"It appears I'm to be the scapegoat, because there's more public interest in `celebrities gone bad' than `rich people being taken advantage of,'" Snipes wrote in an e-mail to Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell, according to AP.
The U.S. government accuses Snipes of fraudulently claiming refunds totaling nearly $12 million in 1996 and 1997 on income taxes already paid. The “Blade" star was also charged with failure to file returns from 1999 through 2004. If convicted, Snipes, 44, faces up to 16 years in prison.
The indictment was handed down when Snipes was in the African country of Namibia shooting a film. He remained in the region despite a warrant for his arrest issued by the U.S.
"I will abide by the law, seek the protections the law affords me and, as always, seek the advice of competent council in effort to resolve this issue," wrote Snipes in his e-mail. "I'm not running, I'm not a fugitive, despite the misrepresentations in the press."
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