I was following the details of the trial. The stuff he did was truely stupid.
He sent in huge manuscripts about how the name on his birth certificate was in capital letters therefore, it was not actually his name or legal entity - it was someone else - - and therefore he doesn't owe the government anything. He claimed he wasn't an American citizen therefore he didn't need to pay taxes. He claimed that the government had secret bank accounts set up when you are born in your "fake" birth certificate name (the one in all capital letters) and it accrues interest while you are still alive. So he sent in bogus "bills of exchange" that drew on this fictional government conspiracy bank account to pay his taxes. He similarily sent in tons of bogus legal forms that were simply made up on the computer and made to look official like stampting his tax forms with a rubber stamp that said "not liable". Here are some things he claimed:
1. he doesn’t have a Social Security Number or Tax ID number
2. his name is Wesley Trent Snipes, not WESLEY TRENT SNIPES
3. his advisors had file that amended Form 1040 for 1997 in his name and he now issued a “sincere apology about the 1997 filing”. He claimed that when he filed the amended return in 2001, he “didn’t have the legal skills” that he does now and admitted that the “refund attempt may have been illegal.”
4. he complained that he was being both ignored and persecuted
5. he made it clear that he has not waived his sovereign immunity
6. he asserted that he is a “nontaxpayer” not a taxpayer and is therefore free from taxes
7. after claiming that he is a nonresident alien and instead of finally filing a normal Form 1040, he submitted a blank amended Form 1040NR-EZ and stamped “NOT LIABLE” on it in huge block letters
8. he called the prosecutor and IRS people “public dis-servants” among other insults
9. he threatened “significant personal liability” for anyone who tried to collect from him
“Warning: pursuit of such a high profile target will open the door for your increased collateral risk.”
http://www.thesnipestrial.com/
That site is great for seeing how stupid he was. His sentencing defense was ridiculous too:
"Imprisoning Mr. Snipes, while his children are at such a critical developmental stage where a father’s love, guidance and nurturance are essential to their development will cause the children irreparable harm. The youngest ones will cry themselves to sleep, not understanding why their father is no longer there to love them."
Only people without kids should ever pay for their crimes by going to prison?
