Earlier this year, Martin agreed to represent Michael Vick after the Atlanta Falcons quarterback was indicted on charges related to illegal dogfighting. Then came the disclosure that Martin had been hired to represent Idaho senator Larry Craig. Those two high-profile cases landed Martin’s name and picture in newspapers across the country, but it didn’t do anything to please a third high-profile Martin client, actor Wesley Snipes.
Snipes had been scheduled to stand trial in the fall in Ocala, Florida, on federal charges that he fraudulently claimed nearly $12 million in federal tax refunds and failed to file returns from 1999 to 2004. The federal indictment claimed that Snipes’s accountants had a history of attempting to bilk the IRS and linked Snipes to a church in Florida that teaches its adherents how to avoid taxes.
Martin—whose firm, Sutherland Asbill & Brennan, has an office in Florida—had been retained to represent Snipes.
Martin was much in demand among entertainment and sports figures after his successful courtroom defense of New Jersey Nets basketball player Jayson Williams, who had been accused of shooting his chauffeur.
In late September, Martin filed papers in the Florida federal court claiming that Snipes was given bad advice by his accountants and was not part of a conspiracy.
As Martin’s work for Vick accelerated, Snipes fired Martin and complained to the judge that Martin was so busy with the Vick case that he could no longer make his October trial date. Martin has said that Snipes decided to fire him solely to get a trial-date continuance, which the judge granted.
Snipes has since retained a new lawyer. One colleague who has represented high-profile clients notes, “Keeping celebrity clients happy when you have a passel of them is as much an art as a science.” Sources say that while Martin might have liked spending the winter in Florida, landlocked Ocala wouldn’t have been his first choice.
This article can be found in the January 2008 issue of The Washingtonian.
Wesley Snipes Won’t Be Ignored
Washington superlawyer Billy Martin is starting to feel the effects of his growing national profile, and it’s not all good.
Earlier this year, Martin agreed to represent Michael Vick after the Atlanta Falcons quarterback was indicted on charges related to illegal dogfighting. Then came the disclosure that Martin had been hired to represent Idaho senator Larry Craig. Those two high-profile cases landed Martin’s name and picture in newspapers across the country, but it didn’t do anything to please a third high-profile Martin client, actor Wesley Snipes.
Snipes had been scheduled to stand trial in the fall in Ocala, Florida, on federal charges that he fraudulently claimed nearly $12 million in federal tax refunds and failed to file returns from 1999 to 2004. The federal indictment claimed that Snipes’s accountants had a history of attempting to bilk the IRS and linked Snipes to a church in Florida that teaches its adherents how to avoid taxes.
Martin—whose firm, Sutherland Asbill & Brennan, has an office in Florida—had been retained to represent Snipes.
Martin was much in demand among entertainment and sports figures after his successful courtroom defense of New Jersey Nets basketball player Jayson Williams, who had been accused of shooting his chauffeur.
In late September, Martin filed papers in the Florida federal court claiming that Snipes was given bad advice by his accountants and was not part of a conspiracy.
As Martin’s work for Vick accelerated, Snipes fired Martin and complained to the judge that Martin was so busy with the Vick case that he could no longer make his October trial date. Martin has said that Snipes decided to fire him solely to get a trial-date continuance, which the judge granted.
Snipes has since retained a new lawyer. One colleague who has represented high-profile clients notes, “Keeping celebrity clients happy when you have a passel of them is as much an art as a science.” Sources say that while Martin might have liked spending the winter in Florida, landlocked Ocala wouldn’t have been his first choice.
This article can be found in the January 2008 issue of The Washingtonian.
Most Popular in News & Politics
What It Felt Like for a Virginia Marching Band to Win Metallica’s Contest
Meet the 2023 Washingtonians of the Year
What’s IN and OUT in DC Restaurant Trends for 2024
Introducing 8 of DC’s Most Stylish
Washingtonian Magazine
April 2024: Great Places to Live
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
13 Major Concerts and Music Festivals in the DC Area This Spring
Mary Timony on Her Emotional New Album, “Untame the Tiger”
The Beatles in DC: A New Exhibit in Maryland Looks Back on Early Beatlemania
Northern Virginia High School Wins Metallica’s Marching Band Competition
More from News & Politics
PHOTOS: Demonstrators Gather Outside the Supreme Court as It Hears Arguments on Emergency Abortion Case
DC’s Coolest Jobs: A Jazz Detective. Orchid Whisperer. Armageddon Stopper.
Seven Miles of Georgia Avenue Will Have a Bus-Only Lane This Summer
What We’ll Miss (or Won’t Miss) About Foxtrot
Foxtrot Is Closing Its DC-Area Stores
Taylor Swift Class Will Be Offered at American University
You Can Still Get Tickets to See Caitlin Clark Play in DC
The Capital Pride Parade Won’t Go Through Dupont Circle This Year