Don't Mess With Taxes

As mentioned in my post (here) on Wesley Snipes' prison sentence for tax evasion, here's the promised follow up on the monetary penalty portion.

Reuters reported that the judge did not fine Snipes, but the IRS still could levy penalties and interest charges in addition to the taxes owed.

Meanwhile, according to the Orlando Sun-Sentinel, during yesterday's sentencing hearing, the actor's lawyers offered prosecutors checks worth $5 million to pay part of his debt to the government.

Prosecutors called the courtroom check presentation a grandstanding move, with prosecutors saying the money was just "a fraction of what he owes." The federal government contends Snipes' tax debt for 1999 through 2004, the years covered by the indictment, will "conservatively" exceed $20 million.

And that fine legal journal People magazine quoted Victor Lessoff, who heads the Tampa IRS office, as saying, "The IRS will still try to collect the money. You can count on that."

As for Snipes, he and his attorneys vow to appeal the case.