We previously have blogged the tax troubles of former Washington, D.C. Mayor Marion Barry. The Washington Post updates the story in Barry’s Tax Troubles May Not Be Over Push for Jail Time Could Continue, by Paul Duggan:
Barry pleaded guilty in 2005 to misdemeanor charges based on his failure to file federal and D.C. income tax returns covering six years, from 1999 to 2004. He could have been jailed for as long as 18 months. Instead, in a plea bargain, he promised to pay his back taxes and file future returns on time, and [Federal Magistrate] Robinson placed him on supervised probation for three years. Within weeks of being put on probation last March, however, Barry missed the April deadlines for filing his 2005 federal and local tax returns. The IRS gave him an extension until October, but he missed that deadline, too. He filed the returns only last month, after prosecutors James W. Cooper and Thomas E. Zeno cited the delinquencies in a motion asking Robinson to punish him. …
Robinson’s stated reason for rejecting the motion had nothing to do with her view of Barry’s behavior. She denied it on procedural grounds, without a hearing, citing her interpretation of the rules on how such motions should be filed.
See also Prosecutors Appeal Barry Decision Probation Revocation, Jail Time Sought for Missed Deadlines, by Carol D. Leonnig. Prior TaxProf Blog coverage:
