Marion Barry Pleads Guilty

WASHINGTON (AP) - D.C. Councilman Marion Barry pleaded guilty Friday to two misdemeanor counts stemming from his failure to file and pay taxes in 2000.

Prosecutors said Barry failed to file and pay federal and local taxes on the more than $500,000 he made between 1999-2004. As part of the plea agreement, however, prosecutors only brought charges against Barry for failing to file and pay taxes in 2000.

Barry, 69, told the court that he was not sure how much money he earned between 1999 and 2004, conceding that tax forms provided by his employers may support the government's contention that he earned $534,000.

Magistrate Judge Deborah A. Robinson freed Barry on his own recognizance but ordered him to inform federal authorities before leaving the area.

Sentencing for Barry, a city councilman, was set for Jan. 18 in U.S. District Court. A plea agreement recommended probation.

Barry served four terms as mayor. In his third term, he was videotaped in a hotel room smoking crack cocaine in an FBI sting. In 1991, he served a six-month prison sentence. Then, in 1994, he regained the mayor's office for another four-year term.

Barry tells WTOP he has no plans to leave office. The misdemeanor charges will not required him to give up his seat on the city council, where he represents one of the city's poorest neighborhoods. Elected to the seat last year, he will qualify for pension benefits and a lifetime income if he completes his term in 2008.

Barry earns $92,605 a year in his council post. He has served a total of 21 years in city government, including two previous council terms.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)