A US federal judge has sentenced Hollywood actor Wesley Snipes to three years in prison for failing to file tax returns from 1999 to 2004.

The jury in US actor Wesley Snipes’ tax case has passed its first full day of deliberation without a verdict.

Actor Wesley Snipes has been indicted in Florida on eight counts of tax fraud, accused of trying to cheat the US government out of nearly $12m in false refund claims and not filing returns for six years.