I'm With Snipes

Let me first state that I am unequivocally, 100 percent behind Wesley Snipes in this time of personal turmoil. Let me say secondly that I cannot wait to see his next movie Gallow Walker, which is still in the production process.

"I look forward to clearing my name posthaste," Snipes told the AP. Know this Mr. Snipes, a young man at Ithaca College, from the Pittsburgh area, admires you and hopes for much of the same. Before this becomes too closely associated to some classification of criminal activity on my part, let's back up and discuss the charges brought against Wesley Snipes.

Two months ago Snipes, who was dressed in a sharp suit accented by his blue-tinted glasses, was indicted in Florida on federal charges of falsely claiming $12 million in tax refunds in 1996 and 1997 on taxes already paid. There's also that pesky mafia boss killer - tax evasion - thrown in on the side (they say he failed to file returns between 1999 and 2004).

There was a rumor that, like in U.S. Marshalls, Snipes was evading U.S. authorities. Although he probably could have done just that, he did the chivalrous thing and returned to the states to face "The Man." He was released on $1 million bond after pleading not guilty on Friday morning.

The truth is that he was in Namibia, Africa filming the aforementioned Gallow Walker. He's returning to Africa to finish filming before coming back to America to have his passport unjustly stripped from him until this little smudge is cleared up.

Nobody knows how to do their own taxes, not even Wesley Snipes, so throw this guy a bone and throw this case out. Like most people, Snipes didn't do his own taxes - the accountants he hired to take care of them were later found to have a history of fouling up tax returns. Of course, hindsight is 20/20.

According to the AP report, Billy Martin, Snipes' lawyer, said: "We believe the evidence in the case will show he has been the victim of unscrupulous tax advice. And this trial will help vindicate him."

I believe too Mr. Martin. Some may call me naive, but first call me a fan.

I am out.