Why did Wesley Snipes go to jail? Internet comes out in support of Blade star as Hunter Biden's plea deal draws comparisons

American attorney Hunter Biden's tax fraud case has been compared to Wesley Snipes after he agreed to plead guilty to three federal charges but will most likely avoid jail time. On June 20, 2023, the 53-year-old personality's lawyer Chris Clark said that the five-year investigation into Hunter Biden's case has been resolved as per his understanding after charges were announced against him by David Weiss from the office of Delaware US Attorney.

However, the office added that the investigation is "ongoing," without revealing any other details related to the case.

Aside from the misdemeanor charges for tax fraud and possession of a gun while abusing drugs, Weiss' office did not charge Hunter with anything, even though there is strong evidence of money laundering or serving as an unregistered lobbyist.

However, as soon as the news of Hunter Biden most likely scheduled to avoid jail time went viral, netizens were quick to drag Wesley Snipes into the conversation who faced somewhat similar charges and served prison time.

Wesley Snipes failed to report millions of dollars worth of tax returns

In 2008, Wesley Snipes was found guilty of wilfully neglecting to file prior tax returns from 1999 to 2001 totaling millions of dollars, and he was given a three-year jail term and a $5 million fine. For each offense, he was sentenced to 12 months. The actor paid $5 toward his $41 million tax debt during the sentence, according to the prosecution.

At the time, the US authorities claimed that Wesley Snipes tried to use a tax protester concept known as the "861 argument" to get false tax refunds. Snipes was charged with submitting a fake amended return, which included a fictitious tax refund claim for the years 1996 and 1997 totaling over $4 million and over $7.3 million, respectively.

Snipes said at the time that the IRS was a fake government organization, citing an obscure part of the tax laws that states that foreign sources of income for Americans are taxable. He also stated that he was a non-resident immigrant, but he was actually born in the United States in 1962.

After his appeal was rejected in 2010, Snipes started serving his term in a federal prison that December. In April 2013, he was released.

Twitter compared Hunter Biden's case to Wesley Snipes tax fraud punishment

After the news of Hunter Biden most likely avoiding his jail term for tax fraud went viral, Twitterati was furious. Several users slammed Joe Biden's administration, with some commenting that the country has "two-tiered justice system." Others pointed out that Wesley committed the same crimes as Biden but had to serve three years of jail time.

Some users also pointed out how the IRS, FBI, and the Justice Department treat people differently if they are a "black man for the same charges."

Born on July 31, 1962, Wesley Snipes is a native of Orlando, Florida. He is best known for appearing in several films like Major League, Jungle Fever, Passenger 57, Demolition Man, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, New Jack City, Rising Sun, etc.

As of this writing, Snipes has not commented on Hunter Biden's jail time being cut for his tax fraud.

About the author

Nikita is a Celebrity Trends writer at SK POP. She completed her master's degree in Journalism from Symbiosis International University, Pune. She has previously contributed to Zenger News, Stardust Magazine, and Outlook Traveller Magazine.

In her spare time, Nikita enjoys painting, photography, dancing, and streaming her favorite shows.

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