Lawyer: O’Byrne Suffers From “Non-Filer Syndrome”
The Paterson administration released records today that showed top aide Charles O’Byrne has paid back nearly $300,000 in overdue state and federal taxes, claiming he was delinquent for five years because he suffered from “non-filer syndrome.â€
The release of documents comes after days of questions about why O’Byrne didn’t file tax returns from 2001 to 2005 and whether Gov. David Paterson was aware of his problems.
Paterson said this week he knew O’Byrne suffered from clinical depression and had a tax problem in 2004, when Paterson as then-Senate minority leader hired him as a speechwriter. He said wasn’t fully aware of the tax problem until about 2007, and O’Byrne told him the matter was being resolved.
But records released Wednesday showed that O’Byrne didn’t start paying back $80,920 in state taxes and fines until early 2007, when he joined Paterson in the executive chamber as an aide to Paterson, who was elected lieutenant governor.
And O’Byrne, who makes $178,500 as Paterson’s aide, didn’t make his final payment to the state of $3,641 until Tuesday. Lawyers for O’Byrne explained that the check was originally sent in September, but apparently was not processed; so it was sent again.
In total, O’Byrne, a former Jesuit priest who officiated John F. Kennedy Jr.’s wedding and funeral, paid the state and federal governments $292,799
O’Byrne’s attorney Richard Kestenbaum said he believes that O’Byrne suffers from what is known as “non-filer syndrome.â€
“Many times, most times with professionals, these are very high functioning people who otherwise can complete all of the ordinary tasks in their life, but there is something that they can’t do,†he told reporters in a conference call.
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What’s this? Another new category for the DSM? There are just so many mental and emotional afflictions these days. That manual must be about 3,000 pages by now.
John Madden is among those who suffer from “Non-FLIER Syndrome.” He doesn’t like planes. He always takes that bus of his to all the NFL games he broadcasts.
Mike Santos suffers from “Non-filer syndrome”. That is why he received a letter from the Board of Elections saying he was going to be fined $500 if he did not turn in his July 2008 filing. Lucky for Mike he sent it in to the board in August.
As for the 32-day pre-primary, 11-day pre-primary, 10-day post-primary, and 32-day pre-general filings he has been late on, I guess he’s willing to take the $2000 hit. People willingly who break the law like Santos and O’Byrne are despicable.
Unlike the rest of us shnooks, He probably is not eligible for frequent-filer miles.
Guys like this are the reason they started with payroll deductions. Guess this is why consultants call themselves consultants – they can play games. They consult with themselves and take their own advice. His “illness” didn’t keep him from writing and delivering the speeches to the Guv on time, or he would have been long ago canned.
It figures that the Kennedys would utilize the services of a Jesuit who renounced his vows.
Funny…If us regular folks caught this, we’d spend time in the sanatorium.