Wesley Snipes indicted for tax fraud Options

[Psykopath]

Cinescape.com

Actor Wesley Snipes was indicted Tuesday on eight counts of tax fraud, accused of trying to cheat the government out of nearly $12 million in false refund claims and not filing returns for six years.

Prosecutors said Snipes fraudulently claimed refunds totaling nearly $12 million in 1996 and 1997 on income taxes already paid. The star of the "Blade" trilogy and "White Men Can't Jump" also was charged with failure to file returns from 1999 through 2004.

According to the indictment, Snipes had his taxes 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.

"It's a conspiracy against the IRS, basically to harass the IRS, from doing its lawful job in term of collection of taxes," U.S. Attorney Paul Perez said.

If convicted of all the charges, Snipes could face 16 years in prison.