Actor Wesley Snipes ordered to Pa. prison for tax evasion

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Actor Wesley Snipes was ordered today to voluntarily surrender at a federal prison in Pennsylvania next week to start his three-year sentence for failing to pay taxes.

The U.S. Marshal's Office ordered Snipes to report to the Federal Correctional Institution McKean in Lewis Run, Pa. by noon Dec. 9.

Snipes had tried unsuccessfully to remain free on bail while appealing his conviction to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The 48-year-old star of the "Blade" trilogy was convicted in 2008 for willful failure to file income tax returns. His attorney, Daniel Meachum, didn't immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment.

After his conviction by a federal jury in Ocala, Fla., about 70 miles north of Orlando, Snipes appealed to the appellate court in Atlanta. But the appellate court upheld the conviction and sentence.