Wesley Snipes made $38 million from 1994-2004. He didn't file taxes for this ten year period. Mow he's facing 36 months in prison. Wesley Snipes' recent appeal was denied by the judge. Looks like the "Blade" actor will serve his prison sentence, after all.
Avoid the Scams: Wesley Snipe's defense is that he was the victim of crooked advisers. He was given bad advice and acted on it. Many others have been made victims of so-called tax “professionals” that were really scammers in disguise. Make sure to do your research and hire only legitimate tax professionals. Be very careful of what advice you follow and only hire professionals that you can trust.
The Real Deal on Tax Protesters: The real deal is that Wesley Snipes was taken in by stories from Tax Protesters. He believed them when they said the constitution doesn't demand we pay taxes. This is unfortunately untrue, and the IRS will pursue you to the ends of the earth to make you pay what you owe. Now Snipes owes $12 Million and will most likely go to jail for 36 months.
Learn Your Lesson: The message from all of this is clear- file your taxes on time. Pay your taxes on time. Celebrities like Wesley Snipes don't get away with tax evasion, and neither will you.