HOLLYWOOD - Hollywood star Wesley Snipes has accused prosecutors of targeting him on federal tax evasion charges because of the color of his skin.
The star of the Blade trilogy was last year accused of fraudulently claiming refunds totaling nearly $12 million for income taxes already paid between 1996 and 1997. He was further charged with failure to file returns from 1999 through to 2004.
But Snipes believes he is the victim of "unscrupulous tax advice" and his attorneys will argue that prosecutors filed additional tax evasion charges against him and not against two other defendants because they are "Caucasian, while Mr. Snipes is African-American."
According to the indictment, Snipes' taxes were prepared by accountants with a history of filing false returns to reap payments for their clients.
A federal judge is set to consider the motion.
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