Wesley Snipes Tax Case Goes to Jury

Celebrities

Posted Jan 30, 2008, 05:59 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss

Jurors in Ocala, Fla., will begin deliberating the fate of actor Wesley Snipes today, accused of failing to pay taxes on more than $58 million in income, according to the New York Times. (Other reports have put this figure at $38 milllion.)

Defense lawyers told jurors in closing arguments that Snipes’ anti-tax views were “kooky” and without merit, but they did not amount to fraud, Times reports. Lawyer Robert Barnes also said Snipes had told the Internal Revenue Service why he was not paying taxes, so there was no fraud or deceit. “It was an attempt to engage the IRS,” he argued, according to an Associated Press report.

But U.S. Attorney Robert O’Neill said Snipes just wanted to avoid paying taxes, and had sent the IRS a 600-page document full of “gibberish” to impede the agency. "Nobody likes paying taxes, but paying taxes is the price we pay to live in a civilized society," he said.

Snipes could go to prison for up to 16 years if he is convicted on all counts. He is charged with fraud, conspiracy and failure to pay taxes.

Updated 11:08 a.m. CT on Thursday, Jan. 31 to reference conflicting reports on Wesley Snipes' income.

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