Wesley Snipes Sentenced to Three Years: Pay Your Taxes!
Today a judge in Ocala, Florida, sentenced Wesley Snipes to three years in jail. The maximum sentence for tax evasion. Despite the best efforts of family members and Hollywood friends like Woody Harrelson and Denzel Washington, who vouched for Snipe’s good character, and an after-the-fact, written admission by Wesley Snipes..
“I am an idealistic, naive, passionate, truth-seeking, spiritually motivated artist, unschooled in the science of law and finance.”.. the judge thought the harsh sentence was necessary to put a stop to people the IRS are calling tax defiers.
Tax defiers believe the government has no right to take a chunk out of US citizen’s earnings. They either file returns stating zero income or don’t file at all. In addition some people file for refunds of taxes they’ve paid in years past.
According to the IRS, Wesley Snipes owes $2.8 million from an unreported $13.8 million.
In February, a jury acquitted him of two felony charges for false refund claims and three misdemeanor failure-to-file charges.
He was found guilty of not filing claims for 1999, 2000 and 2001.
Prosecutors held up a NY Post headline about the February ruling - “Snipes is Now Tax-Free, Beats Heavy Rap and Walks With Wrist $lap” - to say he couldn’t walk away from this with a light sentence; as it would embolden the tax defier crowd.
Because Wesley Snipes was convicted of misdemeanor offenses and has no prior record, his lawyers asked for probation. No go..
“In my mind these are serious crimes, albeit misdemeanors,” the judge said.
Wesley Snipes got his tax ideas from Eddie Ray Kahn, founder of The American Rights Litigators and The Guiding Light of God Ministries. <
<An alleged front for a tax protest organization
. Kahn refused to defend himself in court; he was hit with 10 years.Douglas Rosalie filed Wesley’s taxes, he was sentenced to 4 1/2 years.
Wesley Snipes got three, a year for each misdemeanor conviction.
Snipes and Rosalie are still free.
Authorities will tell them when to turn themselves in.
☼ What's Your Opinion? ☼
Pay your taxes just like good serfs! See what happens to those who fight us? We shall crush your feeble attempts to make us follow the law! We are above it and own it! Baaaaahhhhh
As an accountant, I understand how a lot of TAX PAYERS feel about paying taxes. Think about this, you are paying the salary of a cop that pulls you over because you are black. Think of this, you are paying that idiot George Bushes salary. Think of this, You are paying the salary of correction officers that do absolutely nothing all day at work. Think about this, you are paying social security for all those that are faking it. So I see why some people would try to cheat the system. Just thinking out loud…
I’ll bet the judge was white. That is why he says that they were “serious crimes” in his mind. How about just making him pay what he owes instesd of jail? It’s sad how when you are black all of a sudden a normal crime becomes serious.
The Federal IRS is a fraud and an enemy to peace loveing and free Americans.
Social Security is a scam and when you die who does your share go to? SCAM.
Snipes has to pay his taxes like everyone else! Yes he did get away w/a slap on the wrist. Hell, he’ll find some way to get all the $$ back and then some by making some type donation. You can only place so many fraudulent IRS claims before you’re caught! Shame on you Snipes!
its unfair that people like Mischa, Paris and Nicole serve very little or no time in jail for crimes that can directly harm the public but are let off scot free yet when a black celebrity fails to pay his taxes, he gets fined in addition to 3yrs in prison. This is sooooo racist, silly white judges.
Bottom Line
What you do not to realize is that most people do not pay taxes. Only the high middle Class and up actually pay so it is easy for you to say that he should give up about $5,000,000 to a government that most of us really don’t believe in. I don’t know what kind of money you make but just imagine having to write a check for 3 or 4 million of your hard earned money to someone undeserving of it and see how you would feel.
3 years?!
Three years? Now this idiot is wasting more tax payers money by being imprisoned. I hope they make him pay the costs of incarceration.
I am sick and tired of fools like this ripping off the system. They should take all of his money.
Lets see what you would do if you had your taxes prepered and was told that you had to write a check to the IRS for $350,000 to give to this Bush led government. I am sick and tired of nontaxpayers crying about other peoples money.