Prosecutors Recommend Three-Year Sentence for Wesley Snipes

Prosecutors say actor Wesley Snipes deserves a three-year sentence—the maximum—for failing to file tax returns for three years.

They argue in a sentencing memorandum that a lengthy sentence will help deter other tax crimes, Legal Times reports. Snipes is a “truly notorious offender” who evaded more than $15 million in income taxes and deserves the maximum, the document says.

Snipes will be sentenced April 24. He was convicted in February for failing to file returns but acquitted of more serious tax-fraud and conspiracy charges. Defense lawyers had argued that Snipes’ anti-tax views were “kooky” and without merit, but they did not amount to fraud.

Additional coverage:

The Snipes Trial: "Snipes' Sentencing Memorandum"

Updated at 1:46 p.m. to link to additional coverage.