Celebrity Justice
Wesley Gets Three Years!!!

Posted Apr 24th 2008 5:53PM by TMZ Staff

Wesley SnipesA judge has just sentenced Wesley Snipes to three years in prison for tax evasion. Forget black -- always bet on the U.S. government!

Snipes was not forced to surrender immediately. Instead, the judge ruled he could surrender at a later date, closer to his New Jersey home.

Nathan J. Hochman, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department's Tax Division, said, "Snipes' long prison sentence should send a loud and crystal clear message to all tax defiers that if they engage in similar tax defier conduct, they face joining him and his co-defendants ... as inmates in prison."

Snipes was convicted in February on three misdemeanor charges for not filing his taxes. The government claimed he owed $2.7 mil -- but Snipes' attorneys argued it was just $228,000. No fine was imposed, but the three-year sentence was the max he could have gotten.


Celebrity friends Denzel Washington and Woody Harrelson wrote letters in his defense to appeal for leniency. Oh well ...



Filed under: Celebrity Justice


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(Page 6 of 20)Previous 15 Comments | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Most Recent | Next 15 Comments

76. just a thought: Do not mess with any government agency that has
three letters in its abbreviation such as: I.R.S , A.T.F etc. What he couldn't afford
the $240 fee to go to H&R Block? If I had his kind of money I would make Damn sure
all the Ts were crossed and i(s) were dotted.

Posted at 6:56PM on Apr 24th 2008 by skylab88

77. Good. Hopefully "Sugar Buns" Snipes will walk out with a mason-jar sized bunghole. Everyone has to pay taxes & so does this a55hole...especially for the amount this jerk makes!

Posted at 6:56PM on Apr 24th 2008 by Stevo

78. Everybody should stop paying taxes - they can't throw us all in jail. That's why the guy said - "Let this be warning" The IRS is trying to intemidate you into paying unconstitutional taxes on your wages. Fightt he power - don't be a slave...Vote Ron Paul!

Posted at 7:00PM on Apr 24th 2008 by Alex

79. #2 It is FEDERAL there is NO SUSPENDED SENTENCES!! DAHHHHHHHHHHH

Posted at 7:03PM on Apr 24th 2008 by LRT

80. B.S. It's all fear mongering--he got jailed to make other people afraid of defying an immoral and unconstitutional practice--taxing PERSONAL labor. Even if it was legal, nobody should have to pay the amount of taxes that we ALL do. #1 Wesley is my new civil disobedience hero, #2 Free Wesley, #3 If they take 1% there is nothing to stop them from taking 100%. Watch what happens to your taxes over the next 20 years. Up Up and Up! Good luck!

Posted at 7:06PM on Apr 24th 2008 by Jon Smallberries

81. Hopefully Michael Vick will be his cell mate !

Posted at 7:07PM on Apr 24th 2008 by Monctezuma

82. Richard Hatch from Survivor is in prison now serving his sentence for tax evasion. He probably likes it there.

Posted at 7:07PM on Apr 24th 2008 by Kiara

83. 3 years for a misdemeanor?!? The Federal income tax is NOT legal, the 16th Amendment was never ratified and the IRS has never produced the law granting authority to tax individual wages. In fact, the Supreme Court has ruled on EIGHT seperate occasions upholding that position, and only recently refused to hear a case to redress the greivances of the citizens as granted in the Constitution. Your government is engaging in CRIMINAL ACTIVITY by taxing W-2 wages, see the movie "America: Freedom to Fascism" by Aaron Russo (director of "Trading Places" with Eddie Murphy). In it, the former and current IRS Commissioners are not able to present a coherent answer to the question, "What law grants the Federal Government the authority to charge income tax on personal wages?" Only if we ALL stand up at once will we have a chance to end this Federal mafia abuse.

Posted at 7:07PM on Apr 24th 2008 by truthman

84. To all of you crying about Paris and Lyndsey. DUI is a misdemeanor unless someone gets hurt. Tax evasion is a felony, and he did it for 3 years, and tried that BS argument that taxes are not constitutional and blah blah blah. Thats why he got hammered. It was a dumb move.

Posted at 7:08PM on Apr 24th 2008 by Frag The Paps

85. Meanwhile, the pedophile next door gets NO prison

Posted at 7:10PM on Apr 24th 2008 by Oh Snap

86. LOL! A letter from Woody Harrelson? Like that would have any weight. A letter from him would be the LAST thing I'd want to present to a judge to help prove I'm a man of character!

Posted at 7:11PM on Apr 24th 2008 by John

87. for 3 misdemeanors? what ever the judge went overboard with this decision. Unbelievalble. I'm pulling for your appeal Wesley.

Posted at 7:11PM on Apr 24th 2008 by Pennie SWIM

88. PAY THOSE TAXES FOLKS... as for "racist" comments... guess what? I knew TWO white, affluent families who did not pay their taxes and guess what? Both sets of parents went into the slammer. One set of parents went in for 4 years and the other kid's dad went in for 5 YEARS!!! No suspended sentences! Guess the federal government means business... especially when we are in MAJOR DEFICIT.

Posted at 7:12PM on Apr 24th 2008 by nicky1967

89. SNIPES IS A MARTIAL ARTS EXPERT. If he get's "stretched" as # 8 says, it'll be strictly BY PERMISSION

Posted at 7:12PM on Apr 24th 2008 by Alex

90. Hmph!

It's a shame he can't take his brothel of Asian-Hispanic-Caucasian-Mulatto-British and Oriental [oops! did I say that?] golddiggers with him to the Pen! Then, they could all skip and flutter to the loo together!

Well...maybe he'll get to learn a trade...like bookkeeping.

Posted at 7:14PM on Apr 24th 2008 by When You're Too Black...You crack!

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