CanadaNews’ Reporter Notes

If you haven’t heard about Wesley Snipes’ tax evasion case, all I have to say is: how could he have been so foolish. Wesley Snipes…the guy just was not thinking. It seemed that when his back was finally up against the wall, he tried to do everything he could to fix the situation; all to no avail. By that point, there really isn’t too much he could do to stop what was coming.

Mr. Snipes tried it all: called on his famous friends to vouch for him, torted his clean criminal record and even wrote the government $5 million in checks. Nothing worked this time. He just wanted to convince a judge not to send him to prison. He was trying to get home detention out is this thing. Or maybe do a few public service announcements.

This go ‘round, it isn’t going to work for him. This time, he’s gotta do hard time.

Yesterday, Wesley Snipes was sentenced to three years in prison…all because he failed to file tax returns. According to the federal courts, he’s receiving the maximum penalty. Everyone who has followed this case believes that the government is looking to make an example of the Blade trilogy star.

He got his Hollywood buddies, like Woody Harrelson and Denzel Washington, to write letters of support. They talked about his good character and clean arrest history. His lawyers recommended he be given home detention and ordered to make public service announcements because his three convictions were all misdemeanors and the actor had no previous criminal record.

The 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 from 1999-2001.

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

Snipes surprised the court before Hodges handed down the sentence by offering the government three checks totaling $5 million in unpaid taxes over several years, money the government first denied but then accepted. Prosecutors called it “grandstanding” to avoid jail time, and a mere down payment on the actor’s still-undetermined multimillion dollar tax bill.

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. 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. Defense attorney Carmen Hernandez signaled in court that Snipes would pursue an appeal.

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.

In looking at this thing, all I have to say is: Wesley, use this time to get yourself together. Do you your jail time and never think you can just screw around with the IRS. End this foolishness and never, never, never remove a candy bar off your prison bed when you first arrive.

Good luck, Mr. Snipes