Wesley Snipes' temporary home (former)

Federal Correctional Institution McKean

Actor Wesley Snipes has begun serving his three-year prison sentence for failing to file income tax returns, after being denied his request to remain free during Christmas.

Although Snipes was hoping to spend the holidays with his family in Florida, the movie star reported to the Federal Correctional Institution McKean in Pennsylvania on Thursday morning, says Federal Prisons spokesman Ed Ross.

He was released in 2013 after serving 3 years.

The minimum security prison in the northwest Pa. town of Lewis Run is a far cry from the ruthless lockups Snipes encountered in "Undisputed" and "Brooklyn's Finest." The facility does not even have a fence around its perimeter.