*Wesley Snipes is hoping a judge will allow him to stay out of jail while he appeals his conviction and three-year prison term for failing to file income tax returns.  

      According to papers filed in U.S. District Court in Ocala, Florida, lawyers for the actor argued that his appeal raises "substantial" questions that are likely to result in a new trial or a shorter prison sentence, and that he isn’t a danger to the community.

      They also argued that he's not a danger to the community and he's too famous to be a flight risk.

      The 45-year-old star of "Blade" was convicted Feb. 1 on three misdemeanor counts. U.S. District Judge William Terrell Hodges sentenced him April 24 to the maximum three years in prison.

       He was acquitted of two felony charges of conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service as well as three other misdemeanor counts of not filing taxes.