Have you ever dreamed about not paying your taxes, and getting away with it? We sure have; which is why we've been watching Wesley Snipes' tax evasion trial intently. As you may recall Snipes didn't pay taxes from 1999-2004 claiming that Americans have no obligation to pay taxes and the IRS cannot legally collect them. On Friday in Ocala, Florida a jury found Snipes not guilty of the most serious charges while convicting him of the three less serious offenses.

The man who played Willie Mays Hayes got off with a slap on the wrist, and will probably not see any jail time. It wasn't all good news for Snipes, as he will still have to make amends to the IRS for the money he owes including heavy penalties. Still, we can't help but think that any non-celebrity millionaire who didn't pay his taxes would serve hard time in a federal penitentiary. It pays to be a beloved movie star.

After Snipes forked over millions of dollars to the government during the early '90s, he got involved with the controversial tax denier movement. A couple of prominent figures in that movement, Eddie Ray Kahn and Douglas P. Rosile, convinced Snipes that no law makes anyone liable for taxes and that the government tricks people into paying. If only it was that easy Wesley. Those figures, who were Snipes co-defendants, were found guilty of more serious crimes. Both face ten years in the slammer.

Let's hope Wesley Snipes puts his tax problems behind him, and focuses on making a good movie for the first time since Blade: Trinity.

A PimpWiz Exclusive by Scott Bernstein

Labels: Scott Bernstein