Venue upsets actor

Wesley Snipes claims a central Florida county is too racist to allow him to get a fair trial on tax evasion charges.

An October 2006 federal indictment charges Snipes with fraudulently claiming refunds totalling nearly US$12 million ($15.7 million) in 1996 and 1997 for income taxes already paid, and with failure to file returns.

Snipes' lawyer Ocala was selected because it was "the most racially discriminatory venue available to the government with the best possibility of an all-white Southern jury where Snipes has never resided".