Wesley Snipes Sentenced

OCALA, Fla. -- A federal judge has sentenced action star Wesley Snipes to the maximum three-year sentence on tax charges.

Prosecutors had requested three years, one year for each of Snipes' convictions of willfully failing to file a tax return.

Snipes' lawyers offered three dozen letters from family members, friends and even fellow actors Woody Harrelson and Denzel Washington attesting to his good character. They argued he should get only probation, because all three convictions were misdemeanors and the actor had no previous criminal record.

The sentencing lasted the entire morning without a decision. A jury found Snipes guilty in February of willfully failing to file taxes for three years, in which the government said he owed $2.7 million.

The actor's attorneys said the government's sentencing guidelines weren't fair for tax convictions like his. They wanted him let off with no prison and no fine.

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