p2pnet - rss feed: Wesley Snipes, nailed and jailed
p2pnet news | Movies:- Wesley Snipes, 45, has been nailed and jailed —- for three years, to be exact.
He received the maximum sentence for three counts of failing to file income tax returns.
US district hudge William Terrell Hodges gave him one year for each charge, to be served consecutively, says the Ottawa Citizen.
“As I was sitting here today, a street saying came to mind - more money, more problems,” said Snipes, estimated to have failed to pay $15.6 million in income taxes over six years. .
Snipes followed tactics employed by so-called tax deniers, the government said, according to Bloomberg News, which added:
“Such people claim the law doesn’t require U.S. citizens to pay income tax, often relying on century-old Supreme Court cases and repudiated legal theories to make their case.
“The Justice Department earlier this year began a nationwide crackdown against the movement, pledging to target tax deniers with criminal and civil cases.”
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.Stumble It!
Ottawa Citizen - Snipes gets 3 years in income tax case, April 25, 2008
Bloomberg News - Snipes Showed `Contempt,’ Says Judge Who Ordered Him to Prison, April 25, 2008
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April 25th, 2008 at 6:45 am
Fantastic decision. It sickens me when a ‘celebrity’ gets off lightly or completely from a crime that would get the average Joe thrown in jail for life.
Particularly in this case. It’s despicable for someone as rich as Snipes to be evading taxes.
April 25th, 2008 at 7:06 am
RTFA. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aKNiX4rXIPoA&refer=us
“Wesley Snipes, convicted of failing to file income taxes, was given the maximum three-year prison sentence by a judge who wasn’t convinced that probation was enough punishment for the action-movie star. ”
Obviously, you have something against people with more money than you. I don’t understand why some people think that anyone richer than them are more liable to pay taxes or should somehow pay a larger tax percentage. That’s ridiculous.
April 25th, 2008 at 7:25 am
How exactly is it ridiculous? It’s called income redistribution. You may or not agree with it (and probably don’t), but the reasoning behind it is not that difficult to understand.
April 25th, 2008 at 9:24 am
He was given the max term due to his celebrity status. This is not right.
April 25th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
People should always be given the maximum term due to their celebrity status.
April 25th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
According to a NY Time report of two days the USA is by far the country with the highest proportional prisoner population, an incredible facy considering the wealth of the country and how much money is spent (really wasted) on education.
A jail sentence for a tax evader like Snipes is absurd, considering that almost all the money earned by Snipes is stated as a tax deductible expense by someone else. If that money had been tied to a social security number and a tax retention were paid at the source as is common in many places and if no tax form was filed by Snipes the government should have known immediately that Snipes was not filing tax returns. After that a fine for not filing on time and the collection whatever debt there was would suffice.
Sure, Snipes was dumb and is guilty of something if he did not file tax returns. But surely not more guilty than the fat cats who are paid in foreign bank accounts so as to avoid taxes. When the latter are caught evading taxes, they or their accountants and lawyers always work something out with the tax people, without ever going to court.
April 25th, 2008 at 7:23 pm
A recent movie titled “America: Freedom to Fascism” by Aaron Russo explains quite well why the US Income Tax is UNCONSTITUTIONAL. It goes on to explain how the law was also passed. It also explains of a recent court case where an individual evading taxes was acquitted by a jury. The judge presiding over the case however was trying his best to make it as difficult for the defendant not to win the case. I’m sure a copy of this movie can be found on the share networks. By the way, Aaron Russo recently died of cancer. Here is a link with some videos:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5420753830426590918
April 26th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
“Obviously, you have something against people with more money than you. I don’t understand why some people think that anyone richer than them are more liable to pay taxes or should somehow pay a larger tax percentage. That’s ridiculous.”
No - that isn’t what I said.
My point was that a wealthy person such as Snipes trying to evade tax seems an unbelievably disrespectful thing for the millions out there not quite so comfortable in life.
Maybe my judgement is clouded by the continuous media reports of celebrities doing whatever they feel like, and getting away with it most of the time.