For a martial arts film star, Wesley Snipes sure has a passive-aggressive approach to paying taxes.

He outright refused to file income tax returns for three years. Snipes also tried to collect $11.4 million in fraudulent income tax refunds, even though he was making millions at the time. He said he was naïve, “miseducated” and sorry about not paying taxes.

So what force could possibly strong-arm the action star?

According to Snipes, he was taken advantage of. But according to Eddie Ray Kahn, of the American Rights Litigators, Snipes was a “disciple” when it came to shirking taxes.

The judge must’ve seen Kahn’s point: He decided Snipes was deliberate in not paying his taxes and that the crimes were very serious. Instead of the standard probation, Snipes is getting jail time, much to the chagrin of his lawyers. The Snipes camp started crying out about the unfair punishment and his being “attacked by jackals” as soon as the tax evasions were discovered.

The judge is hoping to make an example out of Snipes to deter any would-be tax deviants and send a clear signal they’ll join Snipes in jail.

Snipes was sentenced to three years, but he hasn’t started serving it yet. He’s waiting around until he’s notified that he has to surrender to the authorities, which could take months.

Tags: IRS, Refunds, Tax evasion, Wesley Snipes