Longtime political consultant gets probation in tax case

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A longtime Missouri Republican political consultant and lobbyist has been sentenced to three years of probation for a federal tax crime. David Barklage was indicted in April for failing to report $443,633 in income from 2012 through 2014. The indictment said that as a result, he failed to pay nearly $152,000 in taxes. He was sentenced Thursday. Barklage’s attorneys say he has paid restitution to the government. Barklage operates the Barklage Company and his clients have included several prominent Republicans in state government. He was a consultant last year to the Uniting Missouri political action committee, which provided financial backing for Gov. Mike Parsons’s successful election bid.