Barry literally doesn't submit tax forms. If he was sick and this sickness wasn't amnesia, his cronies, his representatives and his attorneys' could have filed his 2008 taxes early, have submitted quarterly estimated taxes, etc..

America is the land of the rich and connected. Marion Barry doesn't file anything for years, has never been in jail, and of the multiple years he hasn't filed says a recent sickness somehow excuses him not paying taxes for the last three years. Half of Obama's cabinet nominees, included Geithner who is in charge of the dept. responsible for paying taxes, is in arrears to the point the average person would have gone to jail. Daschle, the former senate minority leader owes more taxes than what three average households make in a year and the only reason anyone found out is because of his cabinet nomination.

To conclude, these people are different from most taxpayer cases because the well known people have ample money to pay what they owe. They aren't having their houses foreclosed, are millionaires and know that through connections they can simply not pay taxes and they won't be prosecuted. If Marion Barry can not even file taxes for over 5 different years, be on probation for this and doesn't get the max sentence, why should anyone have to pay taxes. The gov't can sentence him, seize his assets, get their money and show that even though he has been charged with the same exact thing multiple times, that he is not to be treated as a first time offender and considering the dozens of chances this felon has been given, he be treated like the average person who thinks so little of our system that probation is just a joke to him.