Marion Barry Loses Appeal Six Days Before Release From Prison
Former Mayor Marion Barry on Friday lost an appeal of his six-month prison sentence for cocaine possession, in a court ruling issued six days before his release date.
A federal appeals court affirmed the sentence and rejected the former mayor’s bid to disqualify the sentencing judge for bias.
Barry contended that U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson showed bias when he told a Harvard University audience after the trial that he was convinced Barry was guilty of perjury and other crimes and that some jurors were determined to acquit regardless of the facts.
The former mayor is scheduled to be released Thursday from a medium-security prison in Loretto, Pa. Supporters are planning a caravan to bring him back to Washington.
Barry was convicted in August, 1990, on one misdemeanor count of cocaine possession following a trial that featured an FBI videotape of him smoking crack cocaine during a sting operation at a Washington hotel.
He did not seek reelection to a fourth term in 1990, and was defeated in a bid for a City Council seat. He left office in January, 1991. There have been reports that he may run again for the council.
The former mayor’s attorney, R. Kenneth Mundy, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
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