Actor Wesley Snipes was sentenced Thursday in an Ocala, FL courthouse to the maximum of 3 years on federal tax evasion charges. He was convicted in February of three lesser charges brought against him by federal prosecutors of willful failure to file a return. Originally charged with eight counts, the action star was acquitted of five of the charges including fraud and conspiracy. Prosecutors sought to make an example of the actor by pushing for the maximum of three years in federal prison and at least $5 million in fines.
The actor, best know for the Blade movie series, included letters from fellow actors Denzel Washington and Woody Harrelson attesting to Snipes good character in filings with the judge. In the end though, the judge agreed with the government’s protrayal of the popular star as a “notorious” and “inverterate” offender by imposing the harsh sentence.
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