It looks like the reports of the full demise of the career of Wesley Snipes due to his tax problems have been greatly exaggerated. Well, maybe not, but it looks like the Blade star was able to pull a rabbit out of his hat and work out a deal with the feds. He turns himself in, gets no jail time and is still free to travel. It must be nice to be rich and famous.
The IMDB gives us this:
Wesley Snipes has reached a settlement with the Internal Revenue Service in the US regarding his tax fraud charges. The agreement will likely see Snipes surrender to federal authorities when he next returns to America. In return for agreeing to a payment plan, Snipes will not be jailed and will be allowed both to continue working and to travel abroad. According to a October 17 indictment, Snipes tried to unsuccessfully claim nearly $12 million in false refunds for taxes he paid in 1996 and 1997. The Blade star had his taxes prepared by accountants with a history of filing false returns to reap payments for their clients. Snipes is currently in Namibia shooting the horror film Gallowwalker.
Look, I’ll NERVER say Wesley Snipes is a great actor (because he’s not), but he’s certainly serviceable enough, and he carries with him his own brand of charisma that for some reason I enjoy seeing on screen (within reason). The Blade franchise is a great example of that. The dude has been in some stinker films, but at the same time he also manages to give us some pretty interesting characters along the way, so go figure.
As a side note, I’m looking forward to Daywalker… err… ummm… I mean “Gallowwalker”.
What bothers me is how someone with the promise and ability that Snipes has would come to such a jam up. I find it hard to believe that a person that has such a lucrative profession doesn’t know “exactly” how his money is handled and how it is working. What is it with people with money. They scratch their way to fame then forget how to think. Sports figures that make millions get busted “in their own cars” with pounds of weed. Singers with outragious bankrupting spending, movie stars that actually steel from department stores. Amazing. One thing for sure. Like Michael Jackson, it’s nice to be able to tell the United States and its laws that they will return to the U.S. when they are darn good and ready. Money surely makes a world of difference when you have it. But now Wesley will have to deal with working his way back up. Shouldn’t belong. Americans and mankind in general loves wacked out controversy. He’ll be back to making “Millions”,but not as quick of course as Martha. :-)
THE IMDB ARTICLE IS WRONG.
According to the NY Times today, Snipes remains a Federal fugitive and no deal has been made to drop the tax fraud and conspiracy charges against him. This comes from the U.S. Federal attorney in Florida.
The original story of the “deal” was from Variety and has been cited around the world. According to the article’s author, it was based on interviews with Snipes’ associates, and was NOT verified with Federal authorities.
See the link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/07/business/media/07tax.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1162925869-E8HTK5XPSGkVHJ98vQA78A
Wesley Snipes would not have been indicted if he were my client.You have to be pretty dumb to push an argument like that. See my press release.
My Wesley Snipes Article
go to http://www.taxproblem.org and on the very bottom click on “my wesley snipes article”
Wesley Snipes would not have been indicted if he were my client.You have to be pretty dumb to push an argument like that. See my press release.
My Wesley Snipes Article
READ THIS PART IF NOTHING ELSE:
“His preparer was known to make illegal deductions,” Clay said. “From what I understand, the IRS checked out his clients and found Wesley Snipes on the list. They picked Snipes to send a message.”
NOW READ THE FULL STORY——-
Also charged with Snipes, star of “White Men Can’t Jump” and the “Blade” movies, were Eddie Ray Kahn, of Sorrento, Fla., and Douglas P. Rosile, of Venice, Fla. The indictment says Kahn, founder of American Rights Litigators and its successor, Guiding Light of God Ministries, promoted and sold fraudulent tax schemes.
Snipes’ arrest shows the importance of using qualified tax preparers and not being duped by people who make a living filing faulty tax returns, said Tim Clay, president of ABC Tax Consultants in Brighton.
“His preparer was known to make illegal deductions,” Clay said. “From what I understand, the IRS checked out his clients and found Wesley Snipes on the list. They picked Snipes to send a message.”
Rosile, a CPA, allegedly prepared fraudulent tax returns for ARL members. The indictment says Kahn and Rosile attempted through dishonest means to make it appear as if Snipes had no liability for federal income taxes when in fact he did.
As part of the scheme, according to the indictment, Kahn and Rosile prepared and filed two amended federal income tax returns for Snipes, fraudulently claiming refunds totaling nearly $12 million for 1996 and 1997 income taxes previously paid. Snipes was also accused of not filing federal income taxes from 1999 through 2004.
J. Wray Pearce, a partner with the Pearce Bevill accounting firm in downtown Birmingham, who has done taxes for 40 years, said it is not unusual for people to not file tax returns, especially those going through life-changing events like divorce, bankruptcy, health problems and loss of a job.
“Criminal investigations are rare and yet you see successful, wealthy people trying to get away with tax schemes perpetrated on IRS because they do not think avoiding income tax is a real crime,” Pearce said. “I have represented many clients who for various personal reasons quit filing and then IRS years later found them and they catch up. When you couple fraudulent deductions and shelters with failure to file, the IRS gets aggressive.”
Like Clay, Pearce thinks the IRS and federal officials are using a high-profile indictment against Snipes “as a showcase to deter others from this behavior.”
Nice freudian slip there.
I have to say this doesn’t surprise me one bit. There’s no way he was going to give up his career, which has really been picking up steam over the last few years, over this. I am kind of disappointed that the government didn’t take a harsher stance on this but on the other side of the coin I’m happy Snipes will continue working.
damn i forgot Tom Hanks’ clunkers: everything post-Big bar Philedelphia,Forrest Gump & Saving Private Ryan (he did a good job considering the sentimental bullshit Spielberg had him dishing out).
Ash –
those excellent actors have all had serious clunkers. let’s examine:
Gary Oldman – Scarlet Letter,Lost In Space,The Fifth Element Etc
Johnny Depp – Secret Window,Astronaut’s Wife & Charlie & The Chocolate Factory
Russell Crowe – Quick & The Dead,Proof Of Life & Mystery Alaska
Robert Deniro – Anything from the last decade excluding The Fan (Another one to Snipes’ credit btw),Meet The Parents,Jackie Brown & Ronin
Mdean thanks for mentioning Mo Better Blues. i knew i forgot something!actually think he did steal the show from Denzel IMO.
also adding the brilliant Disappearing Acts & Murder at 1600.
Wait, Mdean just used Blade to support his assertion that Wesley Snipes is an Excellent actor.
Let’s re-examine things….
Gary Oldman, Tom Hanks, Johnny Depp, Russel Crowe, Robert DeNiro… These are actors that should be associated with “excellence.” Wesley Snipes does not belong to this group.
John not to bager you but the quote was:
“Look, I’ll NERVER say Wesley Snipes is a great actor (because he’s not), but he’s certainly serviceable enough, and he carries with him his own brand of charisma that for some reason I enjoy seeing on screen (within reason).”
I think Wesley is an excellent actor.
New Jack City
Mo Better Blues (almost steals the movie from Denzel)
Jungle Fever
Blade
White Man Cant Jump
well he has been given horrid dialogue and pulled it off. define what you meant by servicable,John cos that word sounds like the equivalent of hoo hum or average to me in the way i’ve heard you use it on the Audio Edition. the whole “some hits,some misses” pretty much applies to every celebrated or hyped-up actor out there..
Hey Dre,
Did I say he couldn’t act? Let me see… my direct quote was:
“Wesley Snipes is a great actor (because he’s not), but he’s certainly serviceable enough, and he carries with him his own brand of charisma that for some reason I enjoy seeing on screen”.
He’s decent enough. Some hits, some misses. He’s ok. Not bad. But I certainly don’t think he’s a “GREAT” actor.
I don’t like the statement “given the right material”. TO me that’s an excuse (not by you). You can be in a bad movie, and still act well. You can be given bad dialog, and still act well. That’s what GREAT actors do. Not so much with Snipes. But as I said, he’s ceratinly serviceable.
Hell, anyone on the planet can look good “given the right material”. Even Reeves looked ok in The Matrix. :P
CHeers!
~John
the guy actually can act,Campea…given the right material. check The Waterdance,One Night Stand,Jungle Fever & even his uncredited role opposite Angela Bassett in Waiting To exhale among others that escape my memory as of this writing.
If the government wants their $12 million it’s a smart move. Jailing Snipes gets them nothing. If there is one absolute truism of the United States: “it’s all about the bottom line.”
It does kinda suck however that the laws don’t seem to apply to the rich and famous.