Source: theblemish.com

Wesley Snipes was sentenced to three years in jail by a Florida judge for not filing taxes for at least three years. This was the maximum sentence that could be given. Snipes argued that the IRS “is not a properly established government agency.” Snipes also claimed he “was personally not subject to taxation because he was a ’stateless person’ or ‘nonresident alien,’” or a “‘nontaxpayer,’” which prosecutors flatly rejected. In other words, “special.” Letters from Denzel Washington, Woody Harrelson and Judge Joe Brown extolling his virtues didn’t help either.

“In sum, Snipes’ willful [sic] refusal to file income tax returns is far from a ‘garden variety’ tax offense,” the prosecutors wrote. “Snipes’ nearly decade-long campaign against the IRS has combined brazen tax-defier tactics with sophisticated concealment of income and assets.”

The government hates when you steal money from them. Especially when it amounts to $13 million. In any other case, if you’re a celebrity and live in SoCal, they treat you like a king. For example, Richie Sambora drove drunk with his daughter in the car and instead of charging him with child endangerment, I’m pretty sure the judge blew him.

Source: www.celebritysmackblog.com

Wesley Snipes was sentenced to three years prison in Florida today on tax evasion charges after a jury found him guilty in February.

Snipes failed to pay taxes for three years resulting in the government claiming he owed nearly $3 million dollars. However, his attorneys claim that he owes only $228,000.

His lawyers requested that U.S. District Judge William Terrell Hodges limit their client’s sentence in a hearing this morning. They thought he should get no prison time and no fine. Instead, he received the maximum penalty.

Snipes was acquitted of three other similar misdemeanors as well as two felony charges of tax fraud and conspiracy.

Source: www.celebitchy.com

Actor Wesley Snipes was acquitted on felony tax fraud charges but was convicted on three counts of misdemeanors in failing to file his taxes. Snipes’ defense rested without presenting any evidence, claiming the government had failed to prove their case. Most seemed to think that move doomed Snipes, but he was acquitted of the most serious charges. He still could face up to three years in prison on the misdemeanors.

Snipes is part of the tax denier movement, who believe that tax laws are unjust and that they shouldn’t have to pay them.

Tax deniers assert variously that the tax laws are valid but do not apply to them, that no law makes anyone liable for taxes and that the government tricks people into paying. Promoters of tax denial claim that people can legally stop paying income taxes by executing certain documents, or by not signing others, like tax returns. Courts have rejected all these arguments.

[From the New York Times]

The Supreme Court has said that tax deniers are not guilty of fraud if they can prove that they “sincerely believe” that they weren’t required to pay the taxes. They still have to pay back the taxes and fines, but they can escape criminal consequences.

Snipes became a tax denier in 1999, when he found out he’d have to pay $2 million in taxes. Which is what happens when you make a lot of money. It’s the downside of being rich. Though Snipes was acquitted of all his serious charges, his two co-defendants were both convicted on the fraud and conspiracy charges. Defendant Eddie Ray Kahn is a promoter of tax denial and has previously served time on tax convictions. Douglas Rosile is a former accountant. Both the defense and prosecution say that the fact that Snipes was let off while Rosile and Kahn were convicted shows that the jury agreed that the co-defendants were the criminals and Snipes was the victim who bought into their ideology.

Source: www.evilbeetgossip.com

Wesley Snipes, who was indicted in October for tax evasion, surrendered himself to Feds this morning at the Orlando airport. Snipes pleaded not guilty on all charges, and says he looks “forward to clearing my name and resolving this issue post haste.”

Last month, Snipes authored a Lohan-style letter to a columnist at the Orlando Sentinel, comparing his arrest to rape and implying that the actions of the Federal government were racist. He and Lindsay should team up and just start issuing these rambling, accusatory statements jointly. Snipes could be in charge of making sure that “adequate” is always spelled correctly, and Lindsay could make sure the letters get into the hands of the New York Post’s editors, rather than floundering at some smallish Florida paper. It’s the Dream Team of crazy!

The charges carry a maximum of 16 years in federal lock-up for Snipes.

Source: theblemish.com

Upon landing in Orlando, Florida, Wesley Snipes has surrendered to authorities. He faces federal tax fraud charges and has been released on $1 million bail. The Blade star claims he has been unfairly targeted by prosecutors even though they found him to be in possession of questionable trust funds.

He’ll be allowed to finish filming in Namibia until he has to return in January to surrender his passport. If convicted, Wesley could go to jail for 16 years. Judging by how the system works, it’ll probably be a nice jail with a spa and tennis courts and $25 lunches. Like a resort with a bedtime. He’ll probably beat up some guy and rape him on the first day because he heard that’s how you establish dominance and not get ass raped yourself. The other inmates will say nothing like that happens in this prison and then Wesley will wink at them and say, “It does now.”

Source: www.celebitchy.com

Wesley Snipes was arrested at the airport after coming home from filming in Namibia. He fell prey to a tax evasion scheme that claims that you can put all your earnings in a bogus “Constitutional Trust” to avoid tax liability. He was cited way back in 2002 for non-payment of taxes when he filed an amended return claiming zero income and asking for $7.4 million refund. He never learned his lesson and continued pulling that same stupid stunt.

Now he’s wanted for $12 million in taxes and is in federal custody:

TMZ has learned Wesley Snipes has been arrested and taken into custody by federal authorities.

The actor was arrested Friday morning after arriving at Orlando International Airport. Snipes said he was a scapegoat and unfairly targeted by prosecutors in connection with a federal tax fraud investigation.

Snipes had been shooting a movie in Namibia.

The “White Men Can’t Jump” star is accused of failing to pay nearly $12 million in taxes. Officials allege that Snipes fraudulently claimed refunds in 1996 and 1997, and then failed to file returns between 1999 and 2006.

In related celebrity tax evasion news, “Survivor” winner Richard Hatch was in court to appeal his conviction on tax evasion after he never paid taxes on the $1 million prize from the reality show. He claims producers told him they would take care of the taxes on his winnings after he busted them sneaking food to other participants in the show. He is currently in jail on a four year sentence.

Source: www.evilbeetgossip.com

It may be true that White Men Can’t Jump, but we’ll just see how they manage the extradition of U.S. tax evaders living in friendly West African nations.

Wesley Snipes was indicted last week for attempting to cheat the U.S. government out of nearly $12 million in false refund claims and not filing any returns — at all — for six years. The Smoking Gun has Snipes’ 1997 filing, in which the Blade star reports a net adjusted gross income of zilch.

Where is Snipes now? He’s in Namibia, filming a movie titled Gallowwalker. Snipes has been there since August, at which point Namibia did not have an extradition treaty with the U.S. They passed such a treaty — unilaterally — in September, amidst the Kobi Alexander drama, so one can assume Snipes will eventually be dragged back to the U.S. to face charges. He faces a maximum of sixteen years in prison, where I’m sure all the To Wong Foo-related praise will be, somehow, less flattering.

Source: theblemish.com

Contrary to what TMZ said about Wesley Snipes being on the lam, he has been in Namibia filming since August. If all goes as planned, he could spend 16 years in prison due to tax fraud. Lucky for him Namibia doesn’t have an extradition treaty with the US.

It’s hard to believe he needed to cheat the IRS out of millions. He should have made a lot of bank off Demolition Man. Why that didn’t get an oscar nomination, I’ll never know. His career has been on a meteoric rise since. Just take a look at his last movie, The Detonator. With a name like that, how can you go wrong?

Source: www.evilbeetgossip.com

They forget to pay their taxes too.

Wesley Snipes, who stopped making relevant movies in the mid-90s, evidently got caught making false returns to the tune of 12 million dollars. Now this would be just a boring “stupid celebrity forgets to pay their taxes story,” but he also had another brilliant idea in 2005.

He tried to leave the country of South Africa with a fake South African passport. Accoring to IMDB.com, “the actor was later allowed to leave the country but his immigration status has been reduced to ‘undesirable’ and his false passport confiscated.”
Sounds like somebody got a bit crazy where their movies started going straight to video, or when they went from playing a street-wise hustler to a drag queen?

I totally am waiting for an E! True Hollywood Story!

Source: theblemish.com

A warrant is out for Wesley Snipes arrest after he defrauded the IRS for millions of dollars. How many millions? $12 millions. I made the “s” bold on purpose so the grammar Nazis wouldn’t come. Wesley thought he was smart by making false claims for refunds between 1996 and 1997. He then didn’t file tax returns from 1999 to 2006. The indictment reads:

“through deceit, craft, trickery, and dishonest means to make it appear as if Snipes had no liability for federal income taxes, when in fact defendant Snipes had such liability.”

To prove how smart he was, Wesley filed for a $7.3 million refund. Way to stay under the radar smart guy. Now he’s allegedly on run from Johnny Law, but you don’t mess with Johnny Law because Johnny Law is waiting for you with a spiked dildo. In hindsight, he should have fought Joe Rogan after Joe called him out last year. Sure, Wesley would have got his ass kicked, but it would have been better than that spiked dildo.