Snipes hopes arrest of ex-adviser helps his case

[June 25, 2010]  ATLANTA, Ga. (AP) -- Wesley Snipes' attorneys are hoping his former financial adviser's arrest could pave the way for a new trial on tax evasion charges that landed the star of the "Blade" trilogy a three-year prison sentence.

The motion filed Wednesday in the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals asks the panel to stop considering another pending appeal and instead allow Snipes to file a new request to dismiss the conviction or grant the movie star a new trial.

The motion centers on the arrest of Kenneth Starr, the one-time financial adviser to Snipes and other celebrities.

He was a key witness in Snipes' 2008 trial but was charged with fraud and other counts in May. He is accused of running a scheme that defrauded investors of $59 million.

[Associated Press; By GREG BLUESTEIN]

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