Celebrity Court

Wesley Snipes had a split verdict in his tax case in Florida. While he was acquitted of the higher charge of tax fraud, he was found guilty of failing to file a tax return for three years. Those convictions are just misdemeanors, which means that they are punishable by up to a year in jail. My guess? He will get probation.

He still has to pay the back taxes that he owes and he plans to do so. His attorney Robert Bernhoft said, “Mr. Snipes has always been committed to doing the right thing, and after this trial is over he’ll make whatever amends are required. This is a man of integrity.”

Snipes said he was feeling “great” after the verdict –”a little confused, but great.” Perhaps he is confused about how much back tax he actually owes on $58 million in income? I wonder if any of that money was from his deal to peddle exercise equipment. It is weird to be watching an infomercial and see him peddling products. Maybe the commercial deal was a peremptory attempt to raise enough money to pay his tax debt?

Now that I think about it, how is it that people think that they can’t pay taxes? I mean everyone has to pay taxes. What makes him so special? Did he think that he could show his acting resume and he would get away with it. He could say, “Hey, but I was in Major League, remember? I stole all those bases? That was some funny shit.” His bad luck is that Uncle Sam is not a fan of formulaic baseball comedies. Or may Uncle Sam was mad that Snipes thought that he was too good for the sequel.

Wesley Snipes, tax fraud, tax evasion