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Wesley Snipes Denies All Charges

The American actor, martial artist and film producer, Wesley Snipes, who is best known for his role as the eponymous vampire hunter in the Blade trilogy of movies and starred in action-adventures, thrillers, comedies, and dramatic feature films opposite to such actors as Robert De Niro and Sean Connery, denied the charges that he fraudulently asked for millions of dollars in his tax returns, in a Florida court Friday. The court allowed Snipes to leave the United States in order to take part in a movie being filmed in Africa. Snipes, who stared in the Blade series, posted a $1 million bail, so that he would be allowed to return to Namibia, in southern Africa, were the horror-western movie Gallowwalker is being filmed.

The Federal courthouse in Florida said he must return to the United States by January 10 and surrender his passport. The Florida prosecutor`s office released a statement stating that the trail will continue in March.

Snipes traveled from Namibia to the Orlando International Airport in Florida, arriving in his private jet on Friday morning. Once Snipes left the plane he was arrested and taken to a first hearing in court. After the hearing Snipes returned to the airport and held a press conference. "I look forward to clearing my name and resolving this issue post-haste," said Snipes looking calm and wearing a suit and dark sunglasses. Snipes` attorney, Billy Martin, said Snipes had fallen victim to tax attorneys, adding that "Mr. Snipes left America to begin filming Gallowwalker long before this indictment was returned. We want to make it clear that he did not avoid returning to the United States. He`s always been ready to return and he did not flee."