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Sat, 26 Apr 2008 14:46:00
WESLEY SNIPES GETS 3 YEARS IN PRISON |
 Actor Wesley Snipes |
Actor Wesley Snipes has been sentenced to three years in prison for his tax crimes. The federal court decision came after a daylong hearing as Snipes' defense team struggled to keep the Orlando-born actor out of prison according to the Orlando Sentinal. | |
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When the sentence was read, Snipes remained expressionless -- as did his wife, who was sitting in the front row behind him.
When a reporter asked whether he wanted to say anything, Snipes just spread his arms as if to say, "Like what?" Dan Meachum, his legal counsel, replied: "Not now."
After the sentence was announced by the judge, Carmen Hernandez, a recent addition to the Snipes defense team said, "Mr. Snipes was sentenced because he's Mr. Snipes."
The judge disagreed, saying Snipes' celebrity had no bearing on the sentence.
Hernandez also argued against imposing a fine on the actor. "He will pay off these taxes [with interest and penalties]. He will be paying a lot more than if he had paid his taxes on time," she said.
The judge agreed with her on that point, saying Snipes has already paid dearly, a reference to his expensive stable of lawyers. Snipes smiled and nodded his head as if in agreement.
Snipes was not taken into immediate custody. He will likely serve his time at a federal prison near his home in New Jersey.
Snipes had made a last minute $5 million payment to the treasury, but prosecutors called it a grandstanding move. "It''ll be a fraction of what he owes," said Assistant U.S. Attorney M. Scotland Morris, who made the argument for the government.
Snipes was facing sentencing along with his co-defendants, Eddie Ray Kahn, 64, and Douglas Rosile, 59.
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