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Wesley Snipes is sentenced to 3 years in prison

[views:4132][posts:27]
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[Apr 24,2008 9:14pm - zyklon ""]
Wesley Snipes was sentenced to three years in prison on tax charges Thursday, a victory for prosecutors who sought to make an example of the action star by aggressively pursuing the maximum penalty.

Snipes' lawyers had spent much of the day in court offering dozens of letters from family members, friends even fellow actors Woody Harrelson and Denzel Washington attesting to the good character of the "Blade" star and asking for leniency. They argued he should get only probation because his three convictions were all misdemeanors and the actor had no previous criminal record.

But U.S. District Judge William Terrell Hodges said Snipes exhibited a "history of contempt over a period of time" for U.S. tax laws, and granted prosecutors the three year sentence they requested one year for each of Snipes' convictions of willfully failing to file a tax return.

"In my mind these are serious crimes, albeit misdemeanors," Hodges said.

Snipes apologized while reading from a written statement for his "costly mistakes," but never mentioned the word taxes.

"I am an idealistic, naive, passionate, truth-seeking, spiritually motivated artist, unschooled in the science of law and finance," Snipes said.

Snipes said his wealth and celebrity attracted "wolves and jackals like flies are attracted to meat." He called himself "well-intentioned, but miseducated."

Snipes was the highest-profile criminal tax target in years, and prosecutors called for a heavy sentence to deter others from trying to obstruct the IRS. The government alleged Snipes made at least $13.8 million for the years in question and owed $2.7 million in back taxes.

Snipes was acquitted in February of five additional charges, including felony tax fraud and conspiracy. Snipes' co-defendants, Douglas P. Rosile and Eddie Ray Kahn, were convicted on both those counts. Kahn, who refused to defend himself in court, was sentenced to 10 years, while Rosile received 54 months. Both will serve three years of supervised release. Snipes will serve one year of supervised release.

Snipes and Rosile remain free and will be notified when they are to surrender to authorities.

Kahn was the founder of American Rights Litigators, and a successor group, Guiding Light of God Ministries, that purported to help members legally avoid paying taxes. Rosile, a former accountant who lost his licenses in Ohio and Florida, prepared Snipes' paperwork.

Snipes maintained in a years-long battle with the IRS he did not have to pay taxes, using fringe arguments common to "tax protesters" who say the government has no legal right to collect. After joining Kahn's group, the government said Snipes instructed his employees to stop paying their own taxes and sought $11 million in 1996 and 1997 taxes he legally paid.

Prosecutors sought to justify the maximum sentence by raising those and other details from the IRS investigation, as well as a tax loss even for years in which Snipes was acquitted of failing to file a return. Such "relevant conduct" is allowed by law for a judge's consideration at sentencing.

Criminal tax prosecutions are relatively rare usually the cases are handled in civil court, where the government has a lower burden of proof. Prosecutors said Snipes' case was important to send a message to would-be tax protesters not to test the government.


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[Apr 24,2008 9:16pm - zyklon ""]
Why they always gotta fuck with a brotha?
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[Apr 24,2008 9:32pm - thuringwethil ""]
always bet on black
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[Apr 24,2008 9:33pm - the_reverend ""]
wow....
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[Apr 24,2008 10:23pm - thuringwethil ""]
i'm gonna watch to wong foo
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[Apr 24,2008 10:57pm - DomesticTerror ""]
"I'm a princess! A p to the r to the n to the cess..."
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[Apr 25,2008 12:41am - deathchick ""]
.

bennyhillifier
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[Apr 25,2008 2:33am - Joshtruction ""]
wow for real? crazy
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[Apr 25,2008 9:53am - ConquerTheBaphomet ""]
They send Wesley Snipes to prison but not 2 New York cops who shot a guy on his wedding day 50 times and they got acquitted?

Justice in this country sucks.
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[Apr 25,2008 9:56am - dreadkill ""]
should've rode the money train to h & r block.
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[Apr 25,2008 10:30am - corpus_colostomy ""]

ConquerTheBaphomet said:They send Wesley Snipes to prison but not 2 New York cops who shot a guy on his wedding day 50 times and they got acquitted?

Justice in this country sucks.



it sucks because you left all the important FACTS which would make your statement valid. notwithstanding, there is a spot for you writing for the metro for sure.
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[Apr 25,2008 10:41am - Yeti ""]
but most of all i hate that black ass Wesley Snipes.
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[Apr 25,2008 11:08am - aril  ""]
haha, the best thing about the Metro is yesterday, on the cover, it had the Carolina state trooper that got caught having oral sex with a cow.

Anyway, justice in this country is horrible. The best example to support this would be examining the number of people in jail/prison related on miniscule drug charges, while child rapists and murderers aren't locked up for longer.
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[Apr 25,2008 11:09am - FuckIsMySignature ""]
Simon says go directly to Jail.
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[Apr 25,2008 11:15am - SacreligionNLI  ""]
wesley snipes is probably going to own that jail. doesn't he have a black belt in some kind of martial arts?
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[Apr 25,2008 11:18am - xmikex ""]

dreadkill said:should've rode the money train to h & r block.


hahaha

Maybe they'll cryogenically freeze him only to reanimate him in the future to terrorize a utopian civilization of people who all pay their taxes.
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[Apr 25,2008 11:22am - SacreligionNLI  ""]
i'm surprised they didn't charge him for stealing so many bases
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[Apr 25,2008 11:22am - dreadkill ""]

aril said:The best example to support this would be examining the number of people in jail/prison related on miniscule drug charges, while child rapists and murderers aren't locked up for longer.
i agree, that's the perfect example. what's worse for society, selling a kid some pot or drilling him in the ass against his will? what will damage the kid more?
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[Apr 25,2008 12:03pm - the_reverend ""]
are they utting him into suspended animation? hoe he knows what too do with the 3 clamshells.
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[Apr 25,2008 12:13pm - FuckIsMySignature ""]
goddamnit i never could figure out those clamshells.
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[Apr 25,2008 12:15pm - c.Dead  ""]

the_reverend said:are they utting him into suspended animation? hoe he knows what too do with the 3 clamshells.


I always found that part of the movie to be rather perplexing. I have been thinking for about how they would in fact use those 3 seashells for years now. Any thoughts?
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[Apr 25,2008 12:20pm - corpus_colostomy ""]
"nino brown......your soul is requested.......in hell."
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[Apr 25,2008 3:36pm - Joshtruction ""]

c.Dead said:
the_reverend said:are they utting him into suspended animation? hoe he knows what too do with the 3 clamshells.


I always found that part of the movie to be rather perplexing. I have been thinking for about how they would in fact use those 3 seashells for years now. Any thoughts?



scrape scrape scrape
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[Apr 25,2008 4:50pm - My_dying_bride ""]

SacreligionNLI said:wesley snipes is probably going to own that jail. doesn't he have a black belt in some kind of martial arts?


didnt you see Judge Dredd? He knows all martial arts.
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[Apr 25,2008 4:56pm - demondave ""]

the_reverend said:are they utting him into suspended animation? hoe he knows what too do with the 3 clamshells.



Absolute WIN
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[Apr 25,2008 7:49pm - xmikex ""]

My_dying_bride said:
SacreligionNLI said:wesley snipes is probably going to own that jail. doesn't he have a black belt in some kind of martial arts?


didnt you see Judge Dredd? He knows all martial arts.



That was Demolition Man.

And this thread was over after the money train to h&r block comment.
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[Apr 27,2008 10:50am - Conservationist ""]

ConquerTheBaphomet said:They send Wesley Snipes to prison but not 2 New York cops who shot a guy on his wedding day 50 times and they got acquitted?


He rammed a police car and tried to run a cop down...

It was natural selection. Death to Sean Bell and all people that stupid.

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[Apr 27,2008 10:53am - king of kings  ""]
[img]

good luck wesley!


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