Being a Celebrity Cuts Both Ways

Sometimes, being a celebrity is not a href=”http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20194986,00.html?xid=rss-topheadlines”all it’s cracked up to be:/abr /br /blockquoteWesley Snipes is prison-bound. br /br /The Blade star, 45, was sentenced Thursday to three years behind bars as his punishment for failing to file his tax returns, U.S. District Judge William Terrell Hodges announced in an Ocala, Fla., courtroom….br /br /The prosecution, seeking to make an example of Snipes, had requested the maximum: three years in prison and a fine of at least $5 million. br /br /”The fact that Snipes was acquitted on two felony charges and convicted ‘only’ on three misdemeanor counts has been portrayed in the mainstream media as a ‘victory’ for Snipes,” the government said in its sentencing recommendation. “The troubling implication of such coverage for the millions of average citizens who are aware of this case is that the rich and famous Wesley Snipes has ‘gotten away with it.’ In the end the criminal conduct of Snipes must not be seen in such a light.” /blockquotebr /br /There are many average citizens out there who cheat on their taxes, but they are out of the public eye and are not being used as an example for others. Sometimes, being one of the rich and famous results in more penalties, not fewer, when one gets in trouble with the authorities.