Washington Mayor Barry Appears Before Grand Jury in Drug Probe

Mayor Marion Barry appeared under subpoena Thursday before a federal grand jury investigating his ties to a suspected drug dealer.

Barry told reporters he had done nothing wrong and was not the target of the probe.

“I’m not in trouble,” Barry said as he headed into the grand jury’s meeting room in the federal courthouse. “The public sometimes has the impression that going before a grand jury means that someone is guilty . . . but it only means they are investigating. That’s the American way.”

Barry met with the grand jury for about three hours. He said little to reporters afterward.

Kenneth Mundy, Barry’s attorney, said he has received assurances that Barry is not a target of the probe. The mayor was subpoenaed after failing to answer an informal request that he appear.

Officials refused to comment on Barry’s appearance, but earlier had said investigators are gathering information on whether Barry thwarted a police drug probe and are also looking into the possible misuse of government funds.

On Dec. 22, police were called off an attempt to make an undercover drug purchase from a former city employee, Charles Lewis, after Barry showed up at his hotel room. Barry also has acknowledged contacting police officials looking into the affair, but said he was only trying to speed up the probe.

District of Columbia Police Chief Maurice Turner has denied that police were tipped off that Barry was in Lewis’ room, but did say that detectives were called off their attempted drug purchase by the hotel’s manager.

The grand jury also is hearing testimony on a joint personnel project involving the district and the U.S. Virgin Islands government. Lewis, a former city employee, spearheaded that project for the Virgin Islands. He was fired last April after Virgin Islands officials expressed concern about cost overruns on the project.