Breaking News:Wesley Snipes Sentenced to Three Years in Jail

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Wesley Snipes is prison-bound.

The Blade star, 45, was sentenced Thursday to three years behind bars as his punishment for tax evasion, U.S. District Judge William Terrell Hodges announced in an Ocala, Fla., courtroom.

During the sentencing the actor sat stone-faced – and some in the courtroom gasped when the sentence was read. "I'm very sorry for my mistakes and errors. I apologize to my family, the court and the community," Snipes said in court. "I've asked the court to show me mercy and the opportunity to make things right."

In February, a federal jury convicted Snipes of three counts of failing to file a tax return (from 1999 through 2001). Thursday he received 12 months for each count.

Earlier this year, he was acquitted on the more serious charges of conspiracy to defraud the government and filing a false claim for a $7 million refund – both felonies – as well as three similar counts of failure to file returns for the years 2002, 2003 and 2004.

Had Snipes been convicted on all counts, he faced being incarcerated for up to 16 years.

The prosecution, seeking to make an example of Snipes, had requested the maximum: three years in prison and a fine of at least $5 million.

Sought Probation, Not Prison
The defense, on the other hand, sought probation rather than prison time. "Wesley Snipes is not a dangerous man who needs to be imprisoned to protect the public," Snipes' attorney said in his sentencing memo.

"He is contrite, promises that he will never again break the law, and respectfully asks the court to consider not just the jury verdict but also all the good that he has done in his life."

Snipes's side also claims the tax loss from 1999 through 2001 is only $227,959.

Whatever the sum, "The IRS will still try to collect the money. You can count on that," Victor Lessoff, who heads the Internal Revenue office in Tampa, tells PEOPLE.