Actor Wesley Snipes began serving a three-year sentence at a federal prison in Pennsylvania on Thursday for failing to file income tax returns. Snipes, 48, arrived shortly before noon at the Federal Correctional Institution McKean in the tiny northwestern Pennsylvania town of Lewis Run, federal prisons spokesman Ed Ross said. He had been ordered to surrender by noon.
The minimum-security prison camp is worlds away from the harsh prison fortresses depicted in the Snipes films Undisputed and Brooklyn's Finest. The minimum-security camp doesn't have fences around its perimeter. The 300 non-violent inmates live in barracks that feature two-man rooms, daily showers and double-feature movie showings Friday through Sunday. Alas, no NC-17, R or X ratings allowed, which knocks out much of Snipes's action-heavy repertoire.
The most jarring aspect of the celebrity's stay might be the five daily head counts, three during the overnight hours. And Snipes, who earned a reported $13 million US for the Blade: Trinity sequel, will have to adjust to earning just pennies an hour handling kitchen, laundry or other campus chores. He can spend just $290 US a month at the prison commissary.
