Prosecutors Want Three Years for Snipes

With puzzling disregard for his portrayal of beloved base stealer "Willie Mays Hayes" in the 1989 comedy Major League, federal prosecutors have recommended that 45-year-old actor Wesley Snipes serve three years in prison—the maximum penalty—and pay at least $5 million in fines after being convicted of tax charges in February.

"For nearly a decade, Snipes has engaged in a campaign of criminal tax conduct combining brazen defiance with insidious concealment," the government said in a court filing. "By these means, Snipes has escaped paying more than $15 million in income tax to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and has pursued an intended fraudulent harm to the United States Treasury of more than $41 million."

Snipes was convicted earlier this year of failing to file tax returns, but he was cleared of more serious charges, the Orlando Sentinel reports. He is expected to be sentenced later this month.

Court document here (.pdf), via White Collar Crime Prof Blog.