Wesley Snipes released

Wesley Snipes was released from a Pennsylvania prison today after serving 2 years and 4 months of a 3-year federal sentence for income tax evasion.

Snipes, 50, was convicted of failing to file tax returns in 2008, but he remained free for another 2 years while appealing his conviction. After exhausting his appeals, Snipes entered McKean federal prison in December 2010 to begin serving his sentence.

According to the Associated Press, Snipes was involved with an anti-government group that challenged the government’s right to collect taxes.

Snipes ultimately blamed his legal problems on Eddie Ray Kahn, a tax expert and self-styled minister who advised Snipes and 4,000 other “clients” on ways to avoid paying their taxes.

Snipes earned $37 million between 1999 and 2004. A vast portion of his income went to Khan’s ministry.

Snipes was accused of failing to file returns for at least a decade. U.S. prosecutors say Snipes owed millions of dollars in back taxes.