Wesley Snipes may face up to 3 years jail and a fine of $5 million when his sentence is passed later today. The prosecutors aimed to get Wesley the maximum penalty. He was to become the example of how tax evasion carried severe penalties.
Wesley has been convicted on 3 counts of failing to file federal income tax returns. He was charged with felony conspiracy counts for participating in a scheme that dismissed the legal foundation of the tax system.
The jury accepted Wesley’s defence that said that he was deceived by tax advisers. They acquitted him of some charges. He still has to face some of the remaining charges.
Snipes has starred in action-adventures, thrillers and dramatic feature films. In 1991, he formed a production company called Amen Ra Films, and its subsidiary Black Dot Media, to develop projects for film and television. Snipes has been training in martial arts since he was twelve. He is a fourth dan Black Belt in Shotokan Karate and a student of Capoeira under Mestre Jelon Vieira. Snipes has also pursued training in a number of other disciplines including Kung Fu.
Snipes was set to return to the big screen in the U.S. with 2009's Gallowwalker but his conviction due to tax fraud might delay his comeback.