Friday, December 10, 2010

SNIPES SNIPES AT JUSTICE SYSTEM

Movie actor Wesley Snipes complains that his prison sentence is unfair. I think that Wesley has a righteous beef.

Snipes was convicted of failing to pay taxes. He was sentenced to serve three-year in prison and ordered to surrender himself to a federal prison in Pennsylvania on December 9.. He had requested a delay so he could spend the Christmas holidays with his kids but the judge turned him down.

Wesley told Larry King on CNN that he doesn’t believe he deserved that prison sentence because he relied on the tax experts that worked for him.

I know that an actor of Wesley’s stature depends on a team of agents, publicists and tax accountants to look after his interests. That’s why I believe him when he claims to have relied on his tax experts. If that’s the case, there was no criminal intent on his part. And without intent there is no crime. That doesn’t mean Snipes should have gotten of scott-free had he been acquitted. He would still have to pay all his back taxes and all the interest and penalties that accrue therewith.

In the first place, instead of filing criminal charges against Snipes, the feds could have handled this case in civil proceedings.

There is another reason I think Wesley got a raw deal. For years, Congressman Charlie Rangel failed to pay taxes on several incomes. His only punishment was a censure resolution by the House of Representatives. Furthermore, the feds have no intention of filing any criminal charges against the disgraced congressman.

That’s why Wesley has a righteous beef.

2 comments:

Centurion said...

Snipes SAYS he had no knowledge of his nonpayment of taxes. That's easy enough to say. It's called spin.

As for comparing his case with Charlies. Are those two cases really all that similar?

And if they are...is someone else's bad (in this case criminal) behaviour ever an excuse for our own???

Centurion said...

Ever wonder why most of thes guys, when audited, receive anything from the IRA for OVERPAYMENT???

If...over say... a ten year period...if "mistakes were made" by said accounting firms...wouldn't you think that some of those mistakes migh favor the accounting firm?

I know that when I sit down with my accountant to sign my taxes I make DAMN sure I understand what I'm signing. And my liability is peanuts next to these two guys.

And...if the fault is indeed with "mistakes" made by the accounting firm...how come the IRS isn't going after them as well?

HHHmmmmmmm?