rss feedTaxation With Representation: The Sentencing of Wesley Snipes
Posted by Heather Muse at 3:00 PM, April 25, 2008
Ah, tax cheats. We resent them yet sometimes admire them for their pure gumption. They thumb their noses at one of those two clichéd certainties in life, and sometimes get away with it. The other times, however, we enjoy some simple schadenfreude when they get their just desserts.
Wesley Snipes' sentencing to three years for failing to file taxes between 1999 and 2001 allows the puntastic headline writers to have a little bit of fun. The front page of the Post calls the actor "WESLEY STRIPES," while the Daily News's page 10 story on the sentencing declares, "JUDGE GIVES MAX TO WEASELY SNIPES." The News references Snipes' role as vampire hunter Blade, noting that while Blade always comes out on top, Snipes didn't.
The Post uses more of a celebrity news angle in its coverage, mentioning the letters sent to the judge from Snipes' former co-stars Woody Harrelson and Denzel Washington. Somehow Harrelson calling Snipes his "brother" rings slightly hollow (and something tells me that Harrelson's reputation as a cannabis enthusiast might not be much to sway the court).
Snipes is free on bail, pending the location where he'll serve his sentence. His attorney is trying to get the actor sent to a prison near his home in New Jersey, and the judge agreed to make the request. The star got the max sentence for the charges.
