OCALA, Fla. (June 10, 2007) — Actor Wesley Snipes is a victim of “unscrupulous tax advice” and is being selectively targeted for prosecution on federal tax evasion charges because he is black, his attorneys argue in a motion to dismiss the indictment.
That’s what Snipes has said all along about the charges.
In a June 4 motion to dismiss the indictment, Snipes’ attorneys argue that prosecutors filed additional tax evasion charges against him and not against two other defendants because they are “Caucasian, while Mr. Snipes is African-American.”
A federal judge is still considering the motions.
The Oct. 17 indictment charges Snipes with fraudulently claiming refunds totaling nearly $12 million in 1996 and 1997 for income taxes already paid. The star of the “Blade” trilogy and other films also was charged with failure to file returns from 1999 through 2004.
According to the indictment, his taxes were prepared by accountants with a history of filing false returns to reap payments for their clients. The firm American Rights Litigators would receive 20 percent of refunds from clients, according to the indictment.
There was no immediate response Sunday to calls seeking comment from Snipes’ manager and attorneys representing other defendants in the case.
A spokesman for U.S. Attorney’s Office also did not immediately return a call to his office.
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