Blade star Wesley Snipes has been indicted on allegations that he filed $12 million worth of fraudulent tax refund requests. The U.S. District Court in Tampa also alleges that the most recent tax return filed by the actor was in 1999.
This is not the first time the actor, who has starred in more than three dozen films, has been in financial trouble. Last summer, the actor’s former talent agency, United Talent Agency, Inc., filed a lawsuit alleging that Snipes failed to pay commissions that totaled nearly $1.5 million.
At a recent news conference, U.S. Atty. Paul I. Perez said authorities did not know Snipes’ whereabouts, but it was reported on Friday that the actor has surfaced in Namibia, where he is currently shooting the film Gallowwalker. The African country does not have an extradition treaty with the United States.
If convicted, Snipes, 44, could face up to 16 years in jail.
