Mr. Wesley Snipes, actor, star of Blade (and not much else…but I digress) has been sentenced to 3 years in prison for failing to file income tax.

I make light of Wesley’s career, not because he is a bad actor (because he actually is a good actor) but mostly because I only remember him from films like Waiting to Exhale, White Men Can’t Jump, New Jack City and Mo Better Blues and…that’s all I really liked him in. Just my opinion (I’m not that into action movies).

So, Whoopi Goldberg and others have come to Snipes’ defense in saying that he is a scapegoat for the IRS, but I say that the fact that he could have gotten 16 years and only got 3 years is a step down from Leona Helmsley’s fate. It is interesting to note that Snipes was acquitted of tax fraud which would have resulted in a much longer sentence. Helmsley was convicted of tax evasion and several counts of everything anti-tax you can imagine…she was sentenced to the full 16 years and only served 18 months.

So why is Snipes really being accused? I think it has more to do with his political beliefs than anything else.

My theory is that he was being watched for a while. His arguments in court have indicated that he doesn’t believe that the IRS collecting wages is constitutional – the government hates people who challenge their authority.

In addition, Snipes is a man who, back in 2000 was targeted in the media for supposedly organizing a militia-type group called the Royal Guard of Amen-Ra. The business was a legit one, yet authorities in Putnum County Georgia had reason to believe that the group had ties with United Nuwaubian Nation of Moors, a religious cult known for being well-armed.

Yes a man like Snipes most likely has many complex reasons for not filing income taxes, (and not paying property taxes).

I don’t know Mr. Snipes, and I may never get to know him, but even so, I don’t wish him to spend 3 years in prison for a white collar crime, when there are so many more people out there that need to be off the streets. I think one year behind bars is plenty. The more appropriate sentence would be 2 years of probation and 5 years of community service, but 3 years in prison is too long, and that is why I believe there is more to this case than meets the eye…especially what is meeting our eyes.