OCALA, Fla. -- Wesley Snipes was sentenced to 36 months in prison, Thursday, the maximum sentence allowed. Snipes was convicted of three misdemeanor charges for not filing his taxes.During the sentencing, Snipes apologized for his actions, but the judge indicated that a major reason for the maximum penalty was to deter others from trying something similar. In the pre-sentencing report, the probation department said that SnipesÂ’ conduct could be construed as trying to obstruct the investigation. The report said that could be grounds to increase SnipesÂ’ jail time.
Snipes was not forced to surrender immediately. Instead the judge said he can surrender at a later date, somewhere nearer to his New Jersey home.
SnipesÂ’ defense team spent the morning arguing that he should not have to go to prison. Snipes had appeared confident when he arrived at the federal courthouse Thursday morning. Snipes had many character witness letters written by friends, including Woody Harrelson and Denzel Washington.