Former DC Mayor Returns to Council After Federal Probe
Source: Associated Press
Former DC Mayor Returns to Council After Federal Probe
By BEN NUCKOLS, ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON Jun 14, 2016, 9:41 PM ET
Two years after he lost his bid for a second term as District of Columbia mayor amid a federal corruption probe, Vincent Gray has assured himself a return to elected office in the nation's capital.
Gray, 73, won a Democratic primary Tuesday for a D.C. Council seat representing his home ward, defeating incumbent Yvette Alexander. No Republican or third-party candidates have filed to run for the seat in the heavily Democratic ward.
Gray defeated Democrat Adrian Fenty in 2010 after the brash young mayor alienated many voters, particularly African-Americans.
Allegations of corruption in Gray's campaign began to surface just weeks after he took office, and the U.S. attorney's office launched an investigation that ultimately led to six guilty pleas from people who helped Gray get elected. The probe revealed that an influential businessman poured $660,000 in illegal cash into the campaign, and prosecutors said in court that Gray knew about the illicit funding scheme. Gray denied all wrongdoing, and the investigation ended in late 2015 when prosecutors decided not to charge him.
On the council, Gray could be an antagonist to Mayor Muriel Bowser, who defeated him in the 2014 Democratic primary after painting him as corrupt. ...
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