Actor Wesley Snipes leaves the U.S. Courthouse in Ocala. There was a split verdict in the tax evasion case against him-- guilty of three misdemeanor charges but not guilty of the more serious charges of fraud and conspiracy. (Stephen M. Dowell, Orlando Sentinel / February 1, 2008)


OCALA — A federal judge on Friday rejected movie star Wesley Snipes' demand for a new trial and ordered the actor to surrender to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons to begin serving a 36-month prison sentence for tax-related crimes.

In a 17-page order, U.S. District Court Judge William Terrell Hodges said, "The Defendant Snipes had a fair trial; he has had a full, fair and thorough review of his conviction and sentence by the Court of Appeals; and he has had a full, fair and thorough review of his present claims, during all of which he has remained at liberty. The time has come for the judgment to be enforced."

Snipes, 48, an Orlando-born star of "Jungle Fever," "White Men Can't Jump," and "The Fugitive" sequel "U.S. Marshals," was convicted in 2008 of three misdemeanor counts of willfully failing to file federal tax returns.

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To our international readers: this news article illustrates one of the fundamental principles of American Justice. We are a nation of laws. No one is above the law. Even a wealthy actor can be prosecuted and imprisoned for the crime of tax evasion.

Recently in Washington DC, Representative Charles Rangel was convicted of 11 of 13 charges of tax evasion. He was allowed to keep his seat in the congress, but he was censured (scolded) for his actions which included 17 years of tax evasion.

Representative Maxine Waters is to be tried for similar corruption charges but her trial proceedings keep being mysteriously postponed.

Timothy Geithner was punished for his failure to pay income taxes by being made to serve as Secretary of the Treasury, which includes control of the Internal Revenue Service which collects our taxes.

Eric Holder is the Attorney General of the United States. His job is to seek out and persecute evil-doing honkeys and crackas, wherever they may be, and to defend those whose civil rights have been violated by racist policemen.

America, where "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others"

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