Group 21 Created with Sketch.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 27: Wesley Snipes attends the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on March 27, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images)
How Many Times Has Wesley Snipes Been Arrested?
By BRIAN MYERS
History - Science
Whenever you read about one of your favorite actors having a brush with the law, it typically involves drugs or alcohol. “Blade” actor Wesley Snipes has been arrested just once, and while it wasn’t for possessing illegal substances, it was serious enough to land him in a federal prison.
In 2006, Snipes was indicted for refusing to file his federal income taxes from 1999 to 2004, as well as for fraudulently filing taxes in 1996 and 1997. He had been taking advice from Douglas Rosile (his accountant at the time) and anti-tax leader Eddie Ray Kahn, which led him to believe he was legally avoiding taxes on $40 million worth of earnings.
While Snipes’ lawyer team was able to get him acquitted on the most serious charges, he still had to serve 3 years in prison and pay the IRS $23 million in back taxes — a hefty price which made his comeback difficult. Fortunately, Rosile and Kahn — the men who had led Snipes into this mess — were eventually given much stronger sentences.