Wesley Snipes has turned himself into authorities and is on his way to prison after a judge ordered him to surrender and begin serving his three-year sentence for tax evasion. The "Blade" star, 48, has spent the past two years fighting his 2008 conviction, which found him guilty of failing to file returns or pay tax on earnings of $38 million, dating back to 1999.
He lost an appeal in July this year, but U.S. District Court Judge Terrell Hodges granted him a sentence postponement pending a retrial hearing this month. In a Florida court last week, Snipes' lawyer Daniel Meachum maintained jurors in the 2008 trial had been biased against the star, amid allegations three members of the jury had made up their minds about the case before the court battle began.
But Judge Hodges rejected the argument and on Friday, November 19 demanded Snipes report to Florida cops immediately to begin serving time behind bars. And the Federal Bureau of Prisons website indicates Snipes surrendered to police on Monday and is currently "in transit" to a detention center.
Meachum revealed at the weekend the actor was "disappointed" by the "shocking" judgement, but added, "Wesley is... staying strong and positive."
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