Chicago mobster Al CaponeWhy do people think that they can fight the IRS and win?
Al Capone was a ruthless mobster, responsible for numerous murders but it took the IRS to stop him. He was finally arrested for tax fraud. Capone was sentenced to 11 years in Federal prison. Yet, celebrities continue to try and outrun the long arm of the tax law. Forget it, man. It's like The Matrix. Those dudes seem all geeky and clueless but they will catch up and when they do...you're goin' down.
 Actor Wesley Snipes was just sentenced to three years in prison and fined up to $5 million for evading federal income taxes. Snipes was convicted on three misdemeanor counts of failure to file federal income tax returns. I'm sure he considers himself lucky because he was acquitted in February of five additional charges, including felony tax fraud and conspiracy.
Snipes was the highest-profile criminal tax target in years, and prosecutors called for a heavy sentence to deter others from trying to obstruct the IRS. The government alleged Snipes made at least $13.8 million for the years in question and owed $2.7 million in back taxes. 
(From left to right) Joe Francis, creator of the video series "Girls Gone Wild," was indicted for federal tax evasion for when he deducted more than $20 million in false business expenses. Sophia Loren was charged with tax evasion in Italy in 1982 and spent 18 days in prison. Tenor Luciano Pavarotti in '99, he was ordered to pay nearly $11 million to the Italian government. Richard Hatch, won $1 million on the reality show "Survivor," was found guilty of failing to pay taxes on his winnings and sent to jail.
(From left to right) NY Yankees' Darryl Strawberry was indicted in 1994 on tax evasion charges for failing to report income from his autograph at baseball card events. He was ordered to repay $350,000. The IRS didn't find Abbott and Costello funny when in 1956 charged them for back taxes, forcing them to sell their homes and most of their assets, including their film rights. The IRS fined Willie Nelson $32 million after he got caught up in a bogus tax shelter. Nelson settled for roughly $16 million. See it pays to be a nice guy. He had to sell all his property but his friends bought most of it and gave it back to him. In 1989, Manhattan hotel and real-estate magnate Leona Helmsley, known for not being a nice guy, was famously or infamously quoted that "only the little people pay taxes." She was convicted of tax evasion and served time at a Federal Correctional Institution.
Uh guys, the IRS is watching, always watching. Oh and don't forget to declare all the swag you get from The Oscars, The Emmys and at Sundance because celebs are now responsible for paying taxes on any swag gifts they accept. The value of the celebrity gift bags can easily skyrocket because they are typically packed with the latest electronics, designer clothes, jewelry, gift certificates for fancy dinners, four-star hotel stays, spa treatments and cosmetic surgery procedures etc. Pay your taxes and then bitch about it like the rest of us. Maybe you can use your influence to lobby for a reasonable flat tax. | 
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