Snipes wins appeal for bail
Hollywood star Wesley Snipes narrowly avoids jail as judge grants him bail as he appeals against three year jail sentence
Hollywood actor Wesley Snipes has been granted bail while he appeals against his conviction for tax offences.
A US judge granted the request for bail after Snipes’ lawyers proved the star did not pose a flight risk nor was a threat to the community. Had the appeal failed, he would have been compelled to surrender to prison authorities on 3 June.
In April a US judge sentenced Snipes, best know for his role in Blade, for the maximum three years for tax evasion. The sentence was the full term demanded by prosecutors.
Snipes’ case for not paying taxes of $15.6m (£8m) rested on so-called ‘tax denial’ claims. Protesters say that various tax laws have not been properly ratified, or that foreign income is taxable but not domestic income.
In arguments for bail, Snipes’ lawyers wrote that he was ‘actively engaged in resolving his liabilities with the Internal Revenue Service [US tax authority] civilly’ and a meeting with the agency was scheduled for next week, the BBC reported.
