To add yet another unlikely wrinkle to the Wesley Snipes Totally Fucking Insane Tax-Avoidance Trial of the Century, artful Uncle Sam-dodger Wesley Snipes has convinced a judge (and, we suspect, unabashed Murder at 1600 fanatic) to release the actor on bail pending an appeal to his three-year sentence for accidentally forgetting in which shoe box he placed the IRS's $38 million cheque:

Snipes had been set to surrender to federal prison authorities during the first week of June to begin serving his sentence, and prosecutors had earlier vowed to oppose any request to allow him to remain free pending an appeal.

 

U.S. District Judge William Terrell Hodges wrote that he was "dubious" of Snipes appeal arguments. But Hodges agreed to bail, noting that Snipes otherwise could easily serve his entire sentence before a decision could be reached on his appeal.

The news was instantly followed by an FBI-issued APB to all U.S. law-enforcement agencies, informing them that the Snipes-Flight Threat Level Advisory had just been elevated to red: Severe Risk of Hauling Arse. Additionally, airport security personnel across the country have been faxed a recent photo of the actor taken from his official website, and instructed to instantly detain anyone bearing even a passing resemblance to the actor, and who may or may not be journeying towards asylum in Iran where Passenger 57 has been adopted as an unofficial second religion.

• Wesley Snipes gets bail pending appeal in tax case [Reuters]

Tags: celeb jurisprudence | wesley snipes