Guess Snipe's Sentence

[Joey Smith]

Place yer bets, place yer bets . . .

[Joey Smith]

14 months

[ElfNinosMom]

I don't think he'll spend a day in prison. I think he will get probation only. That's not included in the poll, though.

[Doktor Avalanche]

18 months to 2 years.

Only because I think he ought to be made an example of.

[Bud Dickman]

Zero

[webhick]

6 months to a year in watered-down "celebrity" prison. Probably more like 6 months. 3 hours if you consider how often they're letting celebrities out of prison due to overcrowding.

[LPC]

I'm thinking 3-4 months.

There's too much money at stake to let him go scott-free, but as a first offender (?) who seems to have seen the error of his ways, I doubt he'll get more than 6 months on three misdemeanor charges.

Anyone know what the guidelines would say?

[Demosthenes]

Snipes was convicted on the same counts as Larken Rose, and Larken got a year in prison. Larken had also filed all his past returns and paid off all his back taxes prior to the sentencing.

[AFTP]

Zero.
He has enough money.

[Demosthenes]

Oops. Let me amend that. Larken was sentenced to 15 months in prison for five misdemeanor failure to file counts. The underlying tax obligation was, of course, tiny in comparison to Snipes'.

[Dr. Caligari]

Given the size of Snipes' deficiency, his guideline numbers (no longer mandatory, of course) have to be up in the 24-36 month range at least. Add in the threatening letter to the DOJ attorneys and the phony BOE, I could see a judge hitting him pretty hard.

[Doktor Avalanche]

Given the size of Snipes' deficiency, his guideline numbers (no longer mandatory, of course) have to be up in the 24-36 month range at least. Add in the threatening letter to the DOJ attorneys and the phony BOE, I could see a judge hitting him pretty hard.

Well, that's more like it.

[Joey Smith]

http://www.wesh.com/news/15192473/detail.html

"Mr. Snipes has always been committed to doing the right thing, and after this trial is over, he'll make whatever amends are required," Snipes' attorney, Robert Bernhoft, said.

And another tax denier will end up paying far, far, far more in the end (a reference to his future time in prison ) than if he had just paid his taxes in the first place.

[grixit]

I voted 6 months to a year, but i suspect he'll get the celebutant special and be required to serve it by being locked in his house on weekends.

Otoh, he'll also get the harsh financial restrictions. I wonder how much the tabloids would pay for a picture of him and Kuglin on a date at MacDonalds.

[LPC]

"Mr. Snipes has always been committed to doing the right thing, and after this trial is over, he'll make whatever amends are required," Snipes' attorney, Robert Bernhoft, said.

Remember, we're professionals. Kids, don't try saying sh*t like this at home.

Bobby, age 9, tried saying something like this without adult supervision, and his head exploded.

[Doktor Avalanche]

"Mr. Snipes has always been committed to doing the right thing, and after this trial is over, he'll make whatever amends are required," Snipes' attorney, Robert Bernhoft, said.

Remember, we're professionals. Kids, don't try saying sh*t like this at home.

Bobby, age 9, tried saying something like this without adult supervision, and his head exploded.

Alas, poor Bobby.



This was about the only tame "exploding head" image Google kicked back. The rest were screen shots of the movie "Scanners".

[LAprosecutor]

Assuming the 2007 version of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines applies, and using a rock-bottom tax loss of $2,500,000 as the basis for the sentence, with no enhancements (such as obstruction, for the letter mentioned by others), the offense level would be 24. With a Criminal History Category I (the lowest category), he would be looking at 51-63 months on the Guidelines. With a 36-month statutory maximum, his Guidelines sentence would be reduced to 36 months. I doubt that the version of the Guidelines would make a difference in any calculation, as the Tax Tables have been pretty consistent since 2002.

In case anyone is surprised that a misdemeanor conviction could yield such a high Guideline sentence, the Guidelines show that, even for the willful failure to file misdemeanor, the Tax Tables in 2T4.1 apply (and result in the significant Guideline sentence mentioned above).

If the tax loss were at least $7,000,000, his Guideline calculation would be at least 63-78 months. Keep in mind that the Court can take into account losses for acquitted counts when calculating total losses for purposes of the Guidelines, if the government proved the acquitted counts' losses by a preponderance of evidence. If all charged years are included, and if the obstruction enhancement applies, the Guidelines could be a good bit higher -- in the 8-10 year range, before reducing them to the statutory maximum. That would be a long way to depart down to give the sort of sentences that some of you are predicting.

[jg]

"Mr. Snipes has always been committed to doing the right thing, and after this trial is over, he'll make whatever amends are required," Snipes' attorney, Robert Bernhoft, said.

From the 29 page letter sent to the IRS by Snipes:

It is my sincere belief that there is never a wrong time to do the right thing.

See http://www.thesnipestrial.com/snipes29pp.pdf

[LPC]

"Mr. Snipes has always been committed to doing the right thing, and after this trial is over, he'll make whatever amends are required," Snipes' attorney, Robert Bernhoft, said.

Remember, we're professionals. Kids, don't try saying sh*t like this at home.

Bobby, age 9, tried saying something like this without adult supervision, and his head exploded.

Alas, poor Bobby.

This is *NOT* funny. I was *there*. If Bobby had just filed his tax returns, he'd be alive today.

[Doktor Avalanche]

This is *NOT* funny. I was *there*. If Bobby had just filed his tax returns, he'd be alive today.

Well, it was your digital camera I lifted this photo from.