Washington D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray’s former aide will plead guilty on several charges.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A former campaign aide to District of Columbia Mayor Vincent Gray was charged Monday with lying to federal investigators, and court filings show he has agreed to plead guilty.
Vernon Hawkins lied to the FBI when he said he never asked anyone to leave town to avoid a meeting with federal authorities, prosecutors said in charging the ex-aide with a single count of making a false statement. In fact, Hawkins persuaded and paid a person to go out of town for “an extended period of time” so that the person would be unavailable to cooperate, court papers allege.
The U.S. Attorney’s office charged Hawkins through a charging document that typically indicates a defendant’s plans to plead guilty. A plea hearing was scheduled for Tuesday morning in U.S. District Court.
Three other ex-campaign aides have pleaded guilty to felonies as part of an ongoing investigation into campaign finance violations that prosecutors have said tainted Gray’s 2010 victory. He has not been charged with a crime and has denied wrongdoing.
Hawkins’ lawyer didn’t immediately return messages seeking comment.
