An ex-senior aide to former District of Columbia Mayor Vincent Gray, a Democrat, was sentenced to six months in prison on Tuesday for his role in what federal prosecutors said amounted to a "shadow campaign."
Vernon Hawkins, once a senior political adviser to Gray, was sentenced for playing a role in the illegal financing of Gray’s campaign for mayor in 2010, the Associated Press reported. Hawkins, 77, pleaded guilty to making a false statement about his role in paying a key aide to leave town in order to avoid investigators.
Hawkins is the second former campaign aide to Gray to be sentenced to prison time. In 2013, top campaign aide Thomas Gore was sentenced to six months in jail for secretary paying off a competing candidate to verbally attack Adrian Fenty, who served as D.C. mayor before Gray and lost his bid for reelection in the 2010 primary.
Additionally, former Gray aide Howard Brooks was sentenced to two years probation in 2012 for lying to federal investigators about campaign finance violations.
Federal prosecutors completed the five-year probe into the illegal financing of Gray’s 2010 campaign last December without filing charges against the former D.C. mayor. However, prosecutors have accused Gray of having knowledge of the illegal financing operation. Gray has denied any wrongdoing.
Gray lost his reelection bid to current D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, also a Democrat, during the 2014 primary. He is currently pursuing a seat on the D.C. Council.