Wesley Snipes gets Jail Time

OCALA, Fla. — (New York Times) A federal judge on Thursday sentenced the actor Wesley Snipes to three years in prison for willfully failing to file tax returns. Mr. Snipes, who was convicted in February, received one year for each count, to be served consecutively, and an additional year of probation. Mr. Snipes, who has built a worldwide following acting in films like the “Blade” vampire trilogy, must pay up to $17 million in back taxes plus penalties and interest. Mr. Snipes even tried to make a down payment on his taxes before sentencing; his legal team offered Judge Hodges three checks totaling $5 million. Judge Hodges refused the checks, saying he did not have the authority to accept them. Prosecutors also declined to accept the checks. An IRS employee eventually accepted the checks on behalf of the Treasury Department. A jury found Mr. Snipes guilty on Feb. 1 of three misdemeanor counts of willfully failing to file tax returns, but acquitted him of felony conspiracy and tax fraud charges and three additional counts of failure to file.