Democrat Failed to Pay Taxes Because He Was 'Depressed'

Joe the Plumber has a tax lien for a thousand bucks and gets raked over the coals by the left, but here we have a the top aide to New York Governor who failed to pay taxes for five years to the tune of $200,000 and claims he failed to do so because he was depressed.

Aww, poor thing.

Gov. Paterson's top aide has paid more than $200,000 in back taxes after failing to file his income taxes for five years - claiming he was suffering from severe mental illness, The Post has learned.

Charles O'Byrne, the governor's $178,500-a-year chief of staff, says he recently settled a debt that soared to at least $206,000.

The sum included $151,000 owed to the IRS and another $56,000 in state taxes, including various penalties and interest.

O'Byrne did not file state or federal returns in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005. During part of that period, he was employed by the state.

O'Byrne disclosed the tax debt and his failure to file returns after being questioned by The Post about an outstanding $11,500 tax warrant listed by the Department of State.

A former Jesuit priest who officiated at both the wedding and funeral of John F. Kennedy Jr., O'Byrne said it all stemmed from two severe bouts with depression.

"Certainly, I'm ashamed of the fact that this has occurred in my life," O'Byrne told The Post. "But I'm clinically aware of the fact that it is a consequence of an illness over which I had no control.

"As anyone who's been through a clinical depression understands, parts of life fall apart," he added.

"Keeping up with the mail, frankly, and keeping up with the personal affairs of my life was the primary casualty of the depression I've suffered and have been treated for."

O'Byrne says he is no longer suffering mental illness and is not undergoing treatment. All outstanding state and federal tax claims have been satisfied, he said.

O'Byrne, 49, serves as the senior in-house adviser to Paterson, whose administration is currently cracking down on corporations, small businesses and individuals trying to cheat the state on taxes.

For his own part, Paterson said he was generally aware of O'Byrne's tax debt before he hired him as a speechwriter in September 2004.

Obviously that's poor judgment on Paterson's part. But Democrats are above the law, so why does any of this matter.

By the way, nobody here is making light of depression. The point is despite hardships, physical maladies or mental illness of any kind, you're still required to pay your taxes and if you're incapable of doing so, someone should be appointed to handle your affairs.

These flimsy excuses after the fact don't cut it. If this were a top aide to a Republican governor, the guy would be in jail.