The Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear actor Wesley Snipes’ appeal of his conviction on tax charges.
Wesley Snipes' Mugshot
Snipes had petitioned the nations’ highest court to overturn his conviction, arguing that his trial in Ocala, Florida, had occurred outside the place where he was residing at the time the government argued he was not filing his taxes.
His attorneys also argued that the judge at his trial instructed the jury that they had to accept the Florida venue by the standard of the “preponderance of the evidence” when it should have been established “beyond a reasonable doubt.”
In February 2008,Snipes was convicted of three misdemeanor charges for failing to file his federal income taxes for 1999, 2000 and 2001.
Although he was acquitted of felony charges, he was sentenced to three years in prison. He began the prison sentence last December.
Snipes had written letters to the IRS arguing against the constitutionality of the tax laws, saying he was a “non-resident alien.” His tax advisors and co-defendants Eddie Ray Kahn and Douglas Rosile also received prison sentences.
AccountingToday contributed to this article.
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