Snipes gets prison for tax evasion
OCALA, Fla. (AP) - April 24, 2008 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 misdemeanors and the actor had no previous criminal
record.
But U.S. District Judge William Terrell Hodges said Snipes
exhibited a "history of contempt over a period of time" for U.S.
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.
"In my mind these are serious crimes, albeit misdemeanors,"
Hodges said.
Snipes apologized while reading from a written statement for his
"costly mistakes," but never mentioned the word taxes.
"I am an idealistic, naive, passionate, truth-seeking,
spiritually motivated artist, unschooled in the science of law and
finance," Snipes said.
Snipes said his wealth and celebrity attracted "wolves and
jackals like flies are attracted to meat." He called himself
"well-intentioned, but miseducated."
Snipes was the highest-profile criminal tax target in years, and
prosecutors called for a heavy sentence to deter others from trying
to obstruct the IRS. The government alleged Snipes made at least
$13.8 million for the years in question and owed $2.7 million in
back taxes.
Snipes was acquitted in February of five additional charges,
including felony tax fraud and conspiracy. Snipes' co-defendants,
Douglas P. Rosile and Eddie Ray Kahn, were convicted on both those
counts. Kahn, who refused to defend himself in court, was sentenced
to 10 years, while Rosile received 54 months. Both will serve three
years of supervised release. Snipes will serve one year of
supervised release.
Snipes and Rosile remain free and will be notified when they are
to surrender to authorities.
Kahn was the founder of American Rights Litigators, and a
successor group, Guiding Light of God Ministries, that purported to
help members legally avoid paying taxes. Rosile, a former
accountant who lost his licenses in Ohio and Florida, prepared
Snipes' paperwork.
Snipes maintained in a years-long battle with the IRS he did not
have to pay taxes, using fringe arguments common to "tax
protesters" who say the government has no legal right to collect.
After joining Kahn's group, the government said Snipes instructed
his employees to stop paying their own taxes and sought $11 million
in 1996 and 1997 taxes he legally paid.
Prosecutors sought to justify the maximum sentence by raising
those and other details from the IRS investigation, as well as a
tax loss even for years in which Snipes was acquitted of failing to
file a return. Such "relevant conduct" is allowed by law for a
judge's consideration at sentencing.
Criminal tax prosecutions are relatively rare - usually the
cases are handled in civil court, where the government has a lower
burden of proof. Prosecutors said Snipes' case was important to
send a message to would-be tax protesters not to test the
government.