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Complaint Questions Payments To Gray Campaign Treasurer

By: Patrick Madden // June 20, 2012
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D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray's 2010 campaign has been under federal investigation, and now a civic activist in D.C. has filed a complaint about the campaign with the D.C. Office of Campaign Finance.
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D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray's 2010 campaign has been under federal investigation, and now a civic activist in D.C. has filed a complaint about the campaign with the D.C. Office of Campaign Finance.

A civic activist is asking D.C. campaign finance officials to investigate more than $100,000 in payments to the treasurer of Mayor Vincent Gray's 2010 campaign, according to the Associated Press.

The complaint filed last week by Marie Drissel argues it's highly unusual for a campaign treasurer to be paid so much. Treasurer Betty Brown had a full-time job at Howard University and has little to no experience working on campaigns, Drissel notes in her complaint.

The complaint is under review, a spokesman for the Office of Campaign Finance tells AP. 

Gray's campaign is the subject of a federal investigation. Two aides have pleaded guilty to funneling payments to a minor mayoral candidate in exchange for his negative comments about Gray's opponent, then-mayor Adrian Fenty. 

Investigators are also looking into businessman and major political donor Jeffrey Thompson and his ties to District politicians. 

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