TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Snipes Gets 3 Years In Tax Case

News Channel 8 photo by DAVID KRAUT

Wesley Snipes gestures a thank you to fans outside the federal courthouse in Ocala after receiving a 3 year prison sentence for failure to pay taxes.

ADVERTISEMENT

By THOMAS W.  KRAUSE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 24, 2008

Updated: 04/24/2008 06:00 pm

OCALA - Wesley Snipes was sentenced to three years in prison – one year for each count he was convicted on for misdemeanor charges of filing a false tax return.

He was released today but must turn himself in to a federal prison when contacted by the Federal Board of Prisons and told specifically when and where.

A jury found him guilty in February of willfully failing to file taxes for three years, in which the government said he owed $2.7 million.

But Snipes' attorneys said in court his tax liability was only $228,000. Even if U.S. District Judge William Terrell Hodges accepts their argument, sentencing enhancements put Snipes within range of the three-year prison term prosecutors want.

Snipes was acquitted of three identical misdemeanors and two felony charges of tax fraud and conspiracy.

The actor's attorneys said the government's sentencing guidelines aren't fair for tax convictions like his. They want him let off with no prison and no fine.

Snipes' co-defendants, who were convicted on the felony fraud and conspiracy charges, will also be sentenced. Eddie Ray Kahn faces up to 10 years behind bars, while Douglas P. Rosile could be jailed five to six years.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT