Yesterday (Sept. 27), The New York Times released a shocking report about President Donald Trump’s tax returns, and the internet hasn’t been the same since.
The investigative analysis revealed that the billionaire only paid $750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017 and hadn’t paid any taxes in 10 out of the 15 years prior. The president’s ability to get away with tax avoidance brought up cases where celebrities who hadn’t paid their taxes served time behind bars. Of the many people mentioned was legendary actor Wesley Snipes.
Back in 2010, the New Jack City star was acquitted of felony federal tax fraud and conspiracy charges, but convicted of willfully failing to file tax returns from the years 1999 to 2004. He attempted to appeal the case, but the court refused. He served three years — the maximum sentence — in a federal prison before he was released.
Internet users brought up the comparison, some questioning how Snipes reacted to the news and others demanding Trump do jail time as well. The Blade actor’s name subsequently became a trending topic.
“This is just an American shame,” one Twitter user wrote. “Other Americans #WesleySnipes A Black man went to jail. How does this man escape? His skin color and #MitchMcConnell.”
“Like I said before, if Wesley Snipes can go to jail for tax evasion, so can @realDonaldTrump!!” another user tweeted. “Trump is a fraud! #TrumpIsNotABillionaire.”
Many of the users also mentioned Lauryn Hill who spent three months in jail for tax evasion after failing to pay taxes on about $1.8 million of earnings between 2005-2007.
“I am a child of former slaves who had a system imposed on them,” she said of the charges. “I had an economic system imposed on me.”
Look below for the some of the aforementioned tweets.