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Actor Wesley Snipes is still trying to have his federal tax evasion trial moved from Ocala, Florida. His legal team filed a motion January 4th, with a federal appeals court in Atlanta. Snipes' lawyer, Robert Barnes, argued that U.S. District Judge William T. Hodges was wrong when he ruled against Snipes' motions to relocate and postpone the trial. The actor has argued that he cannot get a fair trial in the central Florida city due to racial prejudice.
The defense is asking that the trial be moved to New York City, Snipes' main residence, or to Orlando, Florida, where the actor has a home.
Barnes also filed a motion requesting that the trial be postponed to a later date until the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rules on the change-of-venue request. The trial was originally slated to begin on January 14th.
Prosecutors have shrugged off Snipes' claims as a delaying tactic, saying his claims of racial bias have "no basis in reality."
Snipes was indicted in October 2006 on eight counts of tax fraud. He was accused of trying to cheat the government out of nearly $12 million in false refund claims and not filing returns for six years.
The charges say that Snipes conspired with tax preparers Eddie Ray Kahn and Douglas P. Rosile Sr. to file false refund claims.
The 45-year-old Blade actor has said that he should be included among a list of 2,000 people who relied on Kahn and Rosile for tax advice, and has been singled out with a co-conspirator indictment because of his race and celebrity.
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