Actor Wesley Snipes Blames Racism For Tax Charges

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Gee, my CPA says different, but what does he know?

And I'm not claiming that Mr. Snipes was treated differently because he is black. I'm just saying I don't know and neither do the posters here who rush to insist racism can't be a factor.

There are at least two posts above about how the "IRS is color-blind." I'd like to see the evidence of that. True color-blindness is pretty rare in our society.

(ETA: the facts that some white people also have tax problems and some black people do not are not proof that racism never enters into IRS decisions.)

The IRS sees only one thing: Rich, stupid people trying to cheat.

(And cheat is relative in their minds.)

If you make anything at all approximating what the IRS considers a comfortable income, hire yourself a d@mn good CPA. My father (not black) mentioned years ago that with his line of work and business interests, it was all about the quality of his accountant that kept him out of trouble with the IRS.
 
The IRS sees only one thing: Rich, stupid people trying to cheat.

(And cheat is relative in their minds.)

If you make anything at all approximating what the IRS considers a comfortable income, hire yourself a d@mn good CPA. My father (not black) mentioned years ago that with his line of work and business interests, it was all about the quality of his accountant that kept him out of trouble with the IRS.

very true, imo.
 
I'm still scratching my head at them using Woody Harrelson for a character reference!!!
 
http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/ap/20080424/120908544000.html
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. :doh:

He deserves every day he got sentenced.
 
I am glad that he is going to jail. What in the world would allow him to believe that he was above paying taxes. He has been blessed enough to make a great living. He should be thankful. Instead he became downright greedy. I resent that he cried racism. I hope that he has to serve the full sentence.
 
Can you believe that Judge Joe was one of his character witnesses? :eek: Of all people he should know that tax invasion is illegal...and then to be a character witness....hmmm don't know what to think about that. Breaking the law is breaking the law! :confused:
 
Can you believe that Judge Joe was one of his character witnesses? :eek: Of all people he should know that tax invasion is illegal...and then to be a character witness....hmmm don't know what to think about that. Breaking the law is breaking the law! :confused:
Judge Joe from TV? I didn't know that! How the heck did he justify testifying for a man who didn't pay his taxes just because of arrogance?
 
People always seem to play the race card when things aren't going their way. Personally, I think it has more to do with rich vs. poor than black or white. Snipes broke the law by not paying his taxes. He had the money to do so but refused. Now he's crying because he really didn't think he would have to do jail time, him being a star and all. I'm trying hard to feel some sympathy for him, so far not feeling it.
 
Years ago I worked at a large law firm in Minneapolis. We had just gotten WordPerfect (word processing software) and none of us knew how to use it. The firm hired a woman that said she was proficient in WordPerfect and that she had taught it. Great!!! We all thought - someone to show us how to use this program.

It was evident from day one that she knew nothing. The attorneys gave her work to do but somehow the files always got lost, she'd give them printouts that were not formatted property (for legal filing), full of misspellings and even once print running off the side of the page. They stopped giving her work. She'd sit at her desk and sleep or read books. Finally after months they had to fire her. She happened to be African American and then tried to sue the firm for discrimination. It was ridiculous. They had kept examples of her work, etc. so the lawsuit never went anywhere. The reason she was fired was because she was incompetent... had absolutely nothing to do with race but she tried to run with that.
 
I am surprised there is not a thread on this already. He has killer lawyers-they have kept him out of jail for a really really long time.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101119/ap_on_en_mo/us_snipes_tax_trial

"U.S. District Court Judge William Terrell Hodges in Ocala, Fla., rejected a request from the actor's attorneys to review Snipes' sentence and grant a new trial. Snipes has been free on bond for more than two years while appealing.
"The defendant Snipes had a fair trial; he has had a full, fair and thorough review of his conviction and sentence. ... The time has come for the judgment to be enforced," the judge wrote in his 16-page decision."
 
three years in prison! omg!

if only he had just paid up to begin with ...
 
Snipes is in Atlanta, preparing to film the movie "Master Daddy."

guess that project will be on hold for awhile
 
Was it worth it the three years in prison not to pay his taxes?

Some of these stars just think they are above the law.

You do the crime, you have to do the time.

I am satisfied he was punished.

Goz
 
I don't feel this is fair at all when Charlie Rangle (sp?) and other politicians cheat all the time and then just say - oh I forgot about that year, that income, that property, that contribution...and none of them are doing time.

Wesley is only getting the book thrown at him because he associated himself with some anti-Federal Income Tax people at one time. Did he err in judgement? Probably. But come on. If he is going to pay the back taxes and we know he has the money, then why put him in prison? It makes no sense...it's a victimless crime. Someone is on a power trip or trying to shut people up who complain about our tax system. The IRS is a goon operation when they do stuff like this. Let him pay it and let's move on. Our public officials only get a stern lecture in front of their peers. Geesh.
 
People: Wesley Snipes headed for prison on tax evasion rap

By Tony Hicks
Contra Costa Times

Posted: 12/01/2010 04:26:24 PM PST
Updated: 12/01/2010 04:58:55 PM PST


Actor Wesley Snipes was ordered Wednesday to voluntarily surrender at a federal prison in Pennsylvania next week to start his three-year sentence for failing to pay taxes

The U.S. Marshal's Office ordered Snipes to report to the Federal Correctional Institution McKean in Lewis Run, Pa. by noon Dec. 9.


http://www.mercurynews.com/entertainment-headlines/ci_16752806?nclick_check=1
 
I don't feel this is fair at all when Charlie Rangle (sp?) and other politicians cheat all the time and then just say - oh I forgot about that year, that income, that property, that contribution...and none of them are doing time.

Wesley is only getting the book thrown at him because he associated himself with some anti-Federal Income Tax people at one time. Did he err in judgement? Probably. But come on. If he is going to pay the back taxes and we know he has the money, then why put him in prison? It makes no sense...it's a victimless crime. Someone is on a power trip or trying to shut people up who complain about our tax system. The IRS is a goon operation when they do stuff like this. Let him pay it and let's move on. Our public officials only get a stern lecture in front of their peers. Geesh.

The problem Wesley Snipes has is that he jump on board with the 861 Argument people, the group of crazies that believe U.S citizens are exempt from federal income taxes. If he simply didn't pay taxes he probably wouldn't get any jail time. But he didn't pay taxes and tried to use the 861 argument and the government has been working hard to make an example out of anyone doing this to discourage others from doing it.
[ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_protester_861_argument[/ame]
 

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