Barry Pleads Guilty in Tax Case

Sources close to the investigation said that Barry was not charged with tax evasion because some employers had withheld taxes and some tax forms had been filed, which proved that he was not trying to hide his income.

Barry has agreed to make arrangements with the IRS to resolve his tax debt, which is a civil matter.

During the five years when his taxes went unpaid, Barry did not have a regular job or salary, but he took on a variety of projects.

He was hired as a consultant for several companies, including M.R. Beal & Co., an investment banking company that paid him more than $250,000 over five years. He also did consulting work for the Vienna-based developer KSI Services Inc. and National Corrections and Rehabilitation Corp., a company that operated group homes.

In an interview during last year's council campaign, Barry acknowledged that money was tight. He added, "I ain't too proud to beg."

As a council member, Barry is paid $92,520 a year. He also is eligible to receive a $34,000 annual pension from the government.

Barry's political career goes back more than three decades. He was elected mayor in 1978 and easily won reelection to second and third terms. He was in his third term when the FBI videotaped him smoking crack at the Vista; he later was convicted of one count of misdemeanor drug possession.

Soon after completing a six-month prison sentence, Barry launched a political comeback. He won a D.C. Council seat in 1992 and a fourth term as mayor two years later.

Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) said in a statement that he is pleased that Barry's tax matters are being resolved.

"I've always admired Marion Barry; however, no one is above the law -- everyone needs to file both their federal and District taxes on time and accurately," Williams's statement said. "I understand that former Mayor Barry has agreed to make full restitution, and now I look forward -- and I am sure that he does too -- to moving on to other issues."

The tax bills, though, are not the only expenses Barry faces over legal issues. He has yet to fully pay a $35,000 court judgment stemming from a run-in with a custodian at Baltimore-Washington International Airport in 2000.

The custodian, Terrie Jenkins, accused Barry in a lawsuit of shoving her and exposing himself in an airport bathroom. Her attorney, Barry Glazer, said that Barry failed to make payments, so his paycheck is being garnished $1,131 a month.

Barry also has not settled a dispute over money with Dion Jordan, who served as the campaign manager in his bid for the Ward 8 council seat last year. Jordan alleged that the campaign owed him $3,700, and he got a court judgment ordering Barry and the campaign to pay up; Jordan said he is still owed about $1,500.

Barry and his fourth wife, Cora Masters Barry, separated in 2002, and he has since lived in a couple of apartments, including his current residence in Southeast Washington. A year after the separation, some of Barry's close advisers established a trust to help pay his rent and other personal expenses.