24 Celebrities whose millions disappeared
Wesley Snipes
These days, Wesley Snipes is just as famous for fighting the IRS as he is for fighting vampires on screen in the Blade franchise.
After earning nearly $40 million during his career peak between 1996 and 2004, Snipes was convicted of tax evasion in 2008 and sentenced to federal prison in 2010. He spent nearly three years in prison and was fined $5 million for willfully failing to file millions of dollars in tax returns.
After his release in 2013, the IRS moved to collect $23.5 million from him. (His offer to pay just $850,000 was rejected.)
The IRS may not have been the only source of his money troubles. The New York Post reported in 2009 that Snipes was a victim of an alleged Ponzi scheme.
Snipes continues to act, including 2021’s Eddie Murphy vehicle, Coming 2 America. His net worth now sits at $10 million, according to WealthyGorilla.
Nicolas Cage
Between 1996 and 2011, Nicholas Cage took home $150 million from his acting career. Bizarre roles in films like the The Wicker Man remake helped him earn his fortune, but they were matched by equally bizarre purchases.
In addition to spending $276,000 on a rare Tarbosaurus dinosaur skull, Cage had purchased a wide range of exotic animals, including a cobra. He also bought a private island in the Bahamas, two European castles and a reportedly haunted mansion in New Orleans.
In 2009, Cage sued his former business manager for fraud and negligence. The actor admitted he owed the IRS a total of $14 million in taxes.
Cage’s net worth is now $25 million. Even though he’s lost the majority of his fortune and is now more famous for meme-worthy moments than his Oscar-winning acting chops, Cage is still going strong.
He recently appeared in the DC Comics flick, The Flash, and has four upcoming films set for release in 2024.
