04/25/2008
American actor Wesley Snipes was sentenced to three years in prison on tax charges on Thursday (24APR), a victory for prosecutors who sought to make an example of the action star by aggressively pursuing the maximum penalty.
Snipes' lawyers had spent much of the day in court offering dozens of letters from family members, friends - even fellow actors Woody Harrelson and Denzel Washington - attesting to the good character of the "Blade" star and asking for leniency.
They argued he should get only probation because his three convictions were all misdemeanours and the actor had no previous criminal record.
But US District Judge William Terrell Hodges said Snipes exhibited a "history of contempt over a period of time" for US 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.
Snipes apologised while reading from a written statement for his "costly mistakes," but never mentioned the word taxes. He said he was an idealistic, naive, passionate, truth-seeking, spiritually motivated artist, unschooled in the science of law and finance.
Outside the courthouse US attorney Rovert O'Neill was adamant it was the right verdict.
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