Snipes sentenced to three years

[TriWooOx]

Hollywood actor Wesley Snipes has received a three-year prison sentence for tax offences.

A federal judge handed down the maximum term requested by prosecutors - a year for each of Snipes's convictions of wilfully failing to file a tax return.

Snipes's lawyers had called for leniency, arguing that the offences were misdemeanours and that the star was of good character.

But prosecutors said an example should be set because of Snipes's fame.

In February, Snipes was found guilty of deliberately failing to file tax returns for 1999, 2000 and 2001, but was cleared of more serious fraud and conspiracy charges.

'Serious crimes'

United States District Judge William Terrell Hodges said the action star had shown a "history of contempt over a period of time" for US tax laws.

"In my mind these are serious crimes, albeit misdemeanours", he said.

Before sentencing Snipes asked the court to show mercy, apologising for his behaviour by saying that he was "an idealistic, naive, passionate, truth-seeking, spiritually motivated artist, unschooled in the science of law and finance".

He also offered three cheques amounting to $5m (

[Anonymous]

Go Snipes, don't give your money to the fukin crooks!  They feel an "example should be set", yeah 'cause he black actor, those fukin asshole criminal judges and lawyers.  What about all the other business people and others who don't get put up in front of the spot-light and charged like this... wtf.  Run for a non-extradition country... Switzerland has that policy?

[hireality]

Snipes has been taken down as a famous patsy for the IRS.
Too many people are wising up to the IRS scam in the US, and this is a means to distract.

As I understand, Snipes didn't play the game properly. You can't avoid taxes if you are still a US citizen, full stop.
He was and still is under admiralty law jurisdiction.