BEN NUCKOLS
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — A former D.C. Council candidate has pleaded guilty to lying about how much money his campaign received from a businessman who also admitted running a “shadow campaign” for Democratic Mayor Vincent Gray.
Jeff Smith entered a guilty plea Monday to a charge of making a false statement to the District of Columbia’s campaign finance office.
Smith ran unsuccessfully against D.C. Councilmember Jim Graham in a 2010 Democratic primary. As part of the plea, Smith acknowledged businessman Jeffrey Thompson secretly funneled $140,000 to his campaign.
Thompson has pleaded guilty to setting up a $668,000 slush fund for Gray’s campaign that year.
Another former council candidate, Kelvin Robinson, pleaded guilty this month to lying about money he received from Thompson, and former councilmember Michael A. Brown admitted to a similar scheme.
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