Yesterday in U.S. federal court, film actor Wesley Snipes was sentenced to three years in prison for misdemeanor charges of failing to file his income tax papers for a bunch of years. He has paid back around $5 million in back taxes and made lots of self-flagellating apologies. But he’s going to Club Fed for three years anyway, even though he was acquitted of actual “tax fraud” charges.
Hit the rewind button, back to 1990. Remember country singer Willie Nelson’s tax troubles? His tax-evasion bill came to a whopping $30 million, and the Internal Revenue Service settled the case for just $16.7 million. Willie never sent to jail. Instead, he released a double album called The IRS Tapes: Who’ll Buy My Memories?
The IRS seized his assets too, but Willie’s friends purchased most of it and gave the stuff back to him — either free of charge or for a nominal fee. He managed to pay back the government in just three years, the same amount of time Snipes will be sitting in jail doing nothing of any value to anyone.
Here’s the moral of the story: Wouldn’t it be smarter if the U.S. government were to apply the same standard to Wesley Snipes? Let him stay the hell out of jail so he could make a few movies and pay off his tax bill.
I guess submitting a character reference from dope-smoking hippie Woodie Harrelson wasn’t good enough for this judge. Ironically, you have to actually be a dope-smoking hippie (or Cindy Sheehan) to get any sympathy from hypocritical Uncle Sam when you decide not to pay your taxes.
Not that the IRS is the sharpest knife in the drawer. True story: The agency once sent a nasty letter to my apartment demanding to know where I lived.
Any minute know, I’m sure federal agents are going to come busting down my door, so if I never write another word on this blog, just …
I bet Wesley could turn this prison stint into a kick ass direct to video movie that no one will see. You know…
“Blade The Incarceration. This time it’s financial!”
“Prisoner 54″
“Demolition Man. Now he’s a felon for real.”
“Jungle Fever…You Know What I mean”
Actually, I was thinking about the “Major League” flicks. If my man Wesley can steal bases like Willie Mays Hayes, maybe he can bust out of the joint and outrun the prison guard dogs . . .
How dare they change their law-ly ways in 18 years
Now even I’d pay to see that. If he gets away they gotta let him go. Like “Running Man”.
Maybe because Snipes decided to go with the arguement that the law was illegal and there was no way in hell he was going to pay up. He probably figured that a fleet of lawyers could use his status as a minority actor to get off scot free and rub it in the courts face.
Willie, on the other hand, had his assets auctioned off to pay $16.7 million in fines and even recorded The IRS Tapes to help raise money. In other words, he accepted he was wrong and gave the feds what he owed. Then he said fark it and smoked half of Jamaica to chill out and get over it.
Willie, white. Wesley, black. It’s too damn easy, it just writes itself. No civil rights leaders gonna get on this? ACLU? Just the deceiver.com? What did Reverend Wright say about America again?
Yeah! Power to the people! Meanwhile the good reverend moves into a 1.5 million dollar house on a golf course. Amerikkkas been very bad to him.
If I was Wesley, I’d take the rest of my millions and leave the USA for good. That would really show them. No more tax money from Wesley for the USA!
Willie Nelson was paying his taxes, but wasn’t paying the correct amount. When the IRS went after him Nelson said he was guilty and worked toward a settlement. Meanwhile, Wesley Snipes hasn’t paid taxes in 8 years (which charges him with not paying his taxes, and willingly not paying his taxes), he also tried to settle other US treasury debt with fake checks. His defense was that he didn’t need to pay taxes, that taxes we’re illegal. His defense didn’t even call a witness, because they believed the prosecutor didn’t make their case (despite the fact that the taxes are illegal argument has never held up in court).
It’s hard to reach a utopian society when everyone is so hung up on race.
Utopian society? Well I’ll save the angry black rant for another time.
Somewhere else some one mentioned Leona Helmsley (white woman), who spent 19 months in jail (originally convicted to 16 years) and she was convicted of tax fraud. Wesley wasn’t but he gets 3 years. But maybe Wesley’s celebrity status will get him out of jail early as well. All things being proportional with the aforementioned white woman and Wesley should spend about 3 to 4 months hard time before his release but we’ll see.
Anyway now I’m hung up on race and gender.
USA USA, you wll never stop being racists!
The difference is, Willy didn’t stand on ceremony. He just didn’t file, he didn’t try and manipulate the system and lie about his assets. Up until the day of sentencing, Snipes kept claiming he only owed $400,000-plus and then did the 11th hour pay-off. If he’d cut the $5mil checks the day of his conviction instead, they probably would have shown leniency.
That entitled, egomaniacal jerk got JUST what he deserved.
Wessley carefull when u drop da soap buddy!!!
Yeah okay Pinky good one.