A US federal judge has sentenced Hollywood actor Wesley Snipes
to three years in prison for failing to file tax returns from
1999 to 2004.
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Judge William Terrell Hodges laid down the harshest possible
sentence Thursday against Snipes, 45, after the star of "Demolition
Man" and the "Blade" vampire movie trilogy
was found guilty in February on three misdemeanor counts.
According to US Attorney Scotland Morris, who argued the
government's case, Snipes currently owes more than 20 million
dollars in back taxes and penalties.
The actor made a five-million dollar payment to the Internal
Revenue Service (IRS) on Thursday, but Morris dismissed it
as "a fraction of what he owes."
"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," said Nathan
Hochman, an official at the US Department of Justice Tax Division.
"The law is very clear: people must pay their taxes,"
added IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman. "There is no
secret formula that eliminates a person's tax obligations,
nor are there any special exceptions."
Attorneys for Snipes, a veteran of some 50 movies and father
of five, vowed to appeal.
"We were hoping for a complete acquittal," Snipes
attorney Linda Moreno told reporters. "I have faith in
the process, and I have faith in the jury system. We will
appeal."
Another defense attorney, Carmen Hernandez, said: "Mr
Snipes was sentenced because he's Mr. Snipes."
