A consultant to District of Columbia Mayor Vincent Gray's 2010 campaign has admitted in federal court that Gray was elected in 2010 with the aid of more than $650,000 in illicit campaign funds from a city businessman.
Eugenia "Jeanne" Clarke Harris's guilty plea to conspiracy and tax charges confirmed that off-the-books payments were being used to pay for consultants, supplies and other expenses supporting Gray. The expenditures were never reported, and prosecutors described the effort as a "shadow campaign."
Although the businessman was not named in court, two people familiar with the investigation identified Jeffrey Thompson as the source of the funds. The individuals spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose the information.
Thompson has not been charged. His attorney, Brendan Sullivan, did not immediately return a message seeking comment late Tuesday.
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