Wesley Snipes

Wesley Snipes
Born:	1962-07-31 Orlando, Florida
Charges:	Willful failure to file federal income tax returns (3 counts)
Sentence:	3 years
Facility:	FCI McKean
Status:	Released

Wesley Trent Snipes (born July 31, 1962) is an American actor, film producer, and martial artist known for his roles in action films including the Blade trilogy, Passenger 57, and Demolition Man. In April 2008, Snipes was sentenced to three years in federal prison—the maximum allowable sentence—for willfully failing to file federal income tax returns.

Early Life and Acting Career

Wesley Snipes was born in Orlando, Florida, and raised in the South Bronx, New York. He began studying martial arts at age 12 and later trained in various disciplines including Shotokan karate, kung fu, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He attended the High School of Performing Arts in New York City and studied at the State University of New York at Purchase.

Snipes began his acting career in the 1980s with small roles in films and television. His breakthrough came with the 1991 film New Jack City, in which he played drug lord Nino Brown. He followed this with critically acclaimed performances in Jungle Fever (1991) and White Men Cant Jump (1992).

Major Film Success

Snipes became one of Hollywoods highest-paid actors in the 1990s, starring in a string of successful action films including Passenger 57 (1992), Rising Sun (1993), Demolition Man (1993), Drop Zone (1994), and Murder at 1600 (1997). His most iconic role came as the vampire hunter Blade in the Marvel Comics adaptation Blade (1998), which spawned two sequels: Blade II (2002) and Blade: Trinity (2004).

At the height of his career, Snipes commanded salaries of $10-15 million per film and was considered one of the most bankable action stars in Hollywood.

Tax Controversy and Federal Charges

Association with Tax Protestor Movement

Beginning in the late 1990s, Snipes became involved with tax protestor organizations that promoted the legally discredited theory that American citizens are not required to pay federal income taxes. He associated with Eddie Ray Kahn, founder of American Rights Litigators (ARL) and Guiding Light of God Ministries, organizations that promoted tax defier schemes.

Federal Indictment

On October 12, 2006, a federal grand jury in Ocala, Florida, indicted Snipes, Eddie Ray Kahn, and tax return preparer Douglas P. Rosile on charges of conspiring to defraud the United States and knowingly making false claims for payment against the United States. Snipes was additionally charged with six counts of willfully failing to file federal income tax returns for the years 1999 through 2004.

The indictment alleged that Snipes had filed fraudulent amended returns for 1996 and 1997, seeking refunds totaling approximately $11.3 million, falsely claiming that he had no income and that no taxes were owed. Prosecutors asserted that Snipes had failed to file tax returns on income exceeding $38 million earned between 1999 and 2004.

Trial and Verdict

The trial began in January 2008 in U.S. District Court in Ocala, Florida, before Judge William Terrell Hodges. After approximately two weeks of testimony and evidence, the jury returned its verdict on February 1, 2008.

Snipes was acquitted of the most serious charges—felony conspiracy to defraud the United States and felony filing of a false claim with the government. However, he was convicted on three misdemeanor counts of willfully failing to file federal income tax returns for the years 1999, 2000, and 2001.

Co-defendant Eddie Ray Kahn was convicted of conspiracy and multiple fraud counts and later sentenced to ten years in prison. Douglas Rosile was convicted of conspiracy and fraud charges and sentenced to four and a half years.

Sentencing

On April 24, 2008, Judge Hodges sentenced Snipes to three years in federal prison—the maximum sentence allowable for the three misdemeanor convictions (one year per count, to be served consecutively).

The Department of Justice had advocated strongly for the maximum sentence, arguing that Snipes case represented a significant challenge to the nations tax system. In its sentencing memorandum, the government emphasized the deterrent value of a substantial prison term, stating that the sentence should send a loud and crystal clear message to all tax defiers.

The governments memorandum noted that the intended tax loss in Snipess case—approximately $41 million—was 100 times the threshold amount that would place a defendant in the highest sentencing guideline range for failure-to-file offenses.

Snipes was also ordered to pay approximately $17 million in back taxes, penalties, and interest to the Internal Revenue Service.

Appeals

Following his conviction and sentencing, Snipes pursued appeals through the federal court system. He remained free on bail during the appellate process.

On July 16, 2010, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit issued a 35-page decision affirming Snipess convictions and sentence. The appellate court rejected Snipess arguments that the trial court had committed reversible errors.

After exhausting his appeals, Snipes was ordered to report to federal prison to begin serving his sentence.

Incarceration

Snipes reported to the Federal Correctional Institution McKean (FCI McKean) in Lewis Run, Pennsylvania, on December 9, 2010, to begin his three-year sentence. FCI McKean is a medium-security federal prison with an adjacent minimum-security satellite camp.

During his incarceration, Snipes reportedly maintained a low profile and participated in prison programs. He served approximately 28 months of his 36-month sentence before being released.

Snipes was released from federal prison on April 2, 2013, and completed the remainder of his sentence under home confinement.

Life After Release

Following his release, Snipes returned to acting and has appeared in numerous films, including The Expendables 3 (2014), alongside Sylvester Stallone and other action stars. He has continued to work steadily in action and thriller films.

In 2018, Snipes starred in the television series The Player and has since appeared in various film and television projects. He has also been involved in discussions about potentially reprising his role as Blade in future Marvel productions.

Legal and Cultural Impact

The Wesley Snipes case became one of the most high-profile tax prosecution cases in American history and is frequently cited by the IRS and Department of Justice as a warning against tax defier movements. The case demonstrated that celebrity status provides no immunity from tax enforcement and that tax protestor arguments have no legal validity.

The prosecution of Snipes and his co-defendants dealt a significant blow to the American Rights Litigators organization and similar tax protestor groups, many of which dissolved or significantly curtailed their activities following the convictions.