A federal appeals panel in Atlanta upheld the three-year prison sentence for actor Wesley Snipes for failure to file taxes, according to an opinion published Friday by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.
“The district court acted well within its considerable discretion in sentencing Snipes to thirty-six months in prison,” the federal opinion read.
The “Blade” actor’s three-year prison sentence, given after he was found guilty on three misdemeanor counts of failing to file federal income tax returns, was appealed by the actor when a key witness against Snipes was himself found guilty of fraud.
Snipes’ one time financial adviser, Kenneth Starr, is accused of running a Ponzi-like fraud. Starr pleaded not guilty to fraud charges in June, Dow Jones Newswires reported.