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Is Snipes a flight risk?
By JJ MacNab | January 31, 2008
The surety company backing Snipes’ bail bond has requested that the judge either put Snipes in custody or require a new bond if and when the jury finds him guilty.
“In the Surety’s view, defendant Snipes’ waiver of defenses indicates more than a lack of resolve. It can easily be inferred that the defendant has no faith in the judicial system and is an unwilling participant. It is apparent that he may not vigorously pursue an appeal, if he is not interested in presenting a defense at trial. Therefore, any appeal is likely for purpose of delay in order to allow the defendant to flee. It is also likely that Snipes simply does not consider himself to be subject to the jurisdiction of the court, or any United States governmental body.”
The motion describes Snipes’ contention that he is a nonresident alien and then turns that frivolous tax denier argument against him.
If Snipes believes he is a nonresident alien, it follows that he is likely to believe he is non-extraditable if he flees to another country.
Yikes!
While not offering a defense can sometimes convince a jury that the case is weak, it certainly doesn’t impress a seasoned surety company.
For now, the judge has denied the motion based on a signature technicality which I would imagine the surety company will fix asap, but this is an interesting example of how Snipes’ kooky detax arguments have had unintended consequences.
In summary, the surety company wants more money posted by Snipes, which the defense lawyers have declined, and Snipes’ choices now are to either find a new surety company or risk being incarcerated immediately if the jury doesn’t acquit.
Considering that this judge has been fairly lenient about allowing Snipes to travel after he was indicted (Canada, Namibia, South Korea) he may not see a need for Snipes to be jailed pending sentencing or appeal, but the motion exposes an interesting look into how a bail bondsman takes Snipes’ nutty theories seriously.
Topics: Snipes | 8 Comments »
8 Responses to “Is Snipes a flight risk?”
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February 1st, 2008 at 12:57 am
I think the only logical place he can run would be Namibia. I believe it’s the only country out of the three that doesn’t have an extradition treaty with the United States.
February 1st, 2008 at 3:45 am
Personally, I hope he runs to South Korea and they keep him. Let him try tax protesting over there. >:-)
February 1st, 2008 at 1:44 pm
Has anyone heard the phrase “Innocent until proven guilty”? While I acknowledge that the tax denier schemes that Mr. Snipes has gotten involved with are pretty sketchy, ok VERY sketchy, I think he still deserves some respect. He has not been convicted yet and here people are already labeling him a flight risk.
The man came back from Namiba to face the charges knowing full well that the deck was stacked against him. I’d call that clear and convincing evidence that he is not likely to flee the jurisdiction. If that’s not enough to belay fears that he might flee consider the financial impact. If he stays and takes his lumps then there is a real possibility that he can recuperate financially and get back on his feet. It will be an uphill battle but he’s got the gravitas to do it.
If he flees his assets will be seized, any hope of generating more through future movie releases, royalties and etc will be lost and he’ll be a fugitive living in exile. While I doubt he’ll want to stay in the country anyway I just don’t see him fleeing with his tail between his legs.
February 1st, 2008 at 7:30 pm
The person labeling Snipes a potential flight risk is his bail bondsman. That’s his job to assess risk.
By the way, Snipes has already moved his assets out of the country to Switzerland and Antigua, according to the exhibits and testimony.
February 1st, 2008 at 8:16 pm
Not blogging the verdict?
February 1st, 2008 at 8:21 pm
Working on it now!
February 2nd, 2008 at 4:20 am
A Swiss bank account? Lord, that is soooooo 80s!
February 4th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
I’m just waiting for someone to show me (and the rest of the world) the body count from Snipes’ “failure to file.”
As for Snipes being an unwilling participant in these court proceedings, how many Americans would file tax returns and send in their cash if the Feds weren’t backing up the tax system with force? The IRS line about “voluntary compliance” is a blatant lie.