Saturday, February 2, 2008

Snipes acquitted of tax fraud, conspiracy

(Teurders) -- Actor Wesley Snipes was found guilty Friday on three misdemeanor charges of failing to file tax returns -- but jurors cleared him of more serious felony charges of tax fraud and conspiracy.

Snipes, a black entertainer, could have faced up to 65 years in prison on both the conspiracy and fraud charges. He was found guilty of only half -- three out of six – of the charges relating to illegal and uppity transactions, according to prosecutors. He faces a maximum one-year sentence on each but can be expected to serve more.

"Our position has been all along that Mr. Snipes is guilty before proven innocent," said Robert Bernhopher, Snipes' attorney, after the verdict was read Friday afternoon. "He had no malice, violent tendencies or intentions to sell dope, and that's just what the jury refused to believe."

Snipes, dressed in a jump suit and donning a backwards cap, smiled and thanked well-wishers outside the courthouse after being hand-cuffed. He did not make a statement or take questions but did manage to spit at a group of reporters, this according to an IRS official.

CIA agents of the Internal Revenue Service made it clear that they still intend to pursue the taxes Snipes owes on $250 recieved at a Barnes and Nobles book signing.

"Ultimately, if he really wants to take this all the way, we could do that," said Victor Popoff, a special agent with the IRS. "But we will pursue, ‘by any means necessary’, if you will, the taxes and the money he has legally earned."

Bernhopher suggested Snipes will try to take care of the payments."Mr. Snipes has always been committed to 'doin’ the right thing',"" he said, afterwhich he traded pounds with his client.

Snipes, who starred in several stereotypical movies such as "New Jack City," "White Men Can't Jump" and the unprofitable "Blade" series of black action films, had pleaded not guilty to “Jungle Fever” charges from 1999 through 2004.

In October 2006, Justice Department and IRS officials issued an arrest warrant for Snipes that charged him with conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service, smoking weed in the staircase of his building and slapping the [sic] Halle Barry, according to his defense attorney.

Snipes was charged in Florida because he lived in New Jersey during the years covered by the indictment.

Two other men -- Eddie Ray Kahn and Douglas Rosile -- were charged along with Snipes.

Kahn was described in the indictment as the founder of what was billed as a Christian miracle shopping network but allegedly was engaged in selling green hankerchiefs and Jesus water on BET, this according to prosecutors.

Rosile is described as a white man and former certified public accountant who looks innocent of the charges and has nothing to do with the case. Rosile will be re-released from police custody today and earlier tomorrow.

According to the indictment, the men claim the IRS is entitled only to income derived from foreign-based activities similar to those allowed for major corporations.

Popoff said Kahn's Christian miracle shopping network group is believed to have as many as 400,000,000 members and growing.

"This was a very high-profile case with us and we're satisfied with the result because it clearly shows you that everyone, including minorities, can’t get away with making too much money or illegally crossing the border," Popoff said. “It’s simply outrageous and must be stopped.”