Wesley Snipes Going to Prison for 3 Years

Wesley Snipes stopped paying his taxes in 1999 and believed that the government didn't have the legal right to collect. He was banking that his famous line "always bet on black" would work, but it didn't. He did manage to dodge 5 of the 8 charges against him, and in an effort to sway the vote...he dropped $5 million on the court right before sentencing. It didn't help.

Hours before he was to be sentenced Thursday for failing to file income taxes he insisted he never had to pay, the action star cut the federal government three checks for $5 million, delivered in court.

So taken aback were prosecutors that they first declined the cash. But by the end of the day, the government took the money and more — a maximum three-year sentence for its highest-profile criminal tax target in decades.

This is a real bummer, because I don't care what you say...I like Wesley Snipes movies, except that last one I saw that was a real POS. I don't get how he's being sent to jail. He had Denzel and freaking Judge Joe Brown testify on his behalf. That's right, I said...TESTIFY! Amen!

Snipes read aloud from a prepared apology, calling his actions "costly mistakes" but never mentioning the word "taxes." He said he was the victim of crooked advisers, a liability of wealth and celebrity that attract "wolves and jackals like flies are attracted to meat."

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

His lawyers said he was no threat to society, and offered three dozen letters from family members, friends and even fellow actors Woody Harrelson and Denzel Washington attesting to his compassion, intelligence and value as a mentor. They called four character witnesses Thursday, including television's Judge Joe Brown, who incited applause from the gallery by suggesting Snipes was no different than "mega-corporate entities" that legally avoid taxes.

Source

Damn I hate the legal system sometimes. Wesley didn't hurt anyone and eventually forked over some cash, while this SOB at my local coffee shop keeps using skim milk in my drinks. There's the real crime! Skim milk for crying out loud! That guys is still walking the streets and Wesley gets 3 years. Unbelievable.

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