On Aug. 15 District of Columbia businessman and political fundraiser Jeffrey E. Thompson received a three-month prison sentence followed by a 90-day home confinement term for his role in illegal campaign finance activities.
Jeffrey E. Thompson was sentenced to three months in prison for illegal campaign finance activities.
Thompson, 61, will be incarcerated for a scheme in which he and his companies covertly steered about $3.3 million in illegal contributions to at least 28 political candidates and their campaigns, according to a statement released by the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia on Aug. 15. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and leaders of the Washington field offices of the FBI and IRS.
The thrust of the U.S. Attorney’s case alleged secret campaign on behalf of then 2010 District mayoral candidate Vincent Gray (D). Gray, who served as mayor from 2011-2015 and is now running for re-election to the Ward 7 council seat, has repeatedly denied knowledge of the secret campaign.
Thompson also contributed to many District and federally-elected officials over the years including D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), and D.C. mayors Marion S. Barry, Anthony Williams, and Adrian Fenty as well as a number of the D.C. councilmembers.
Thompson is the former chairman, CEO and majority owner of Thompson, Cobb, Bazilio and Associates (TCBA), a corporation that provided accounting, management, consulting, and tax services. At one time, TCBA was one of the largest Black-owned firms of its kind in the country.
Thompson is also the former chairman, CEO and owner of D.C. Healthcare Systems, an investment holding and for-profit corporation. D.C. Healthcare Systems was one of the few Black-owned firms in the country that provided managed-care services for a state-level jurisdiction. His business generated millions of dollars annually.
On March 10, 2014, Thompson pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to two felony charges. The first, a federal charge, was conspiracy to violate federal campaign laws and to submit false filing to the IRS. The second, a District offense, was conspiracy to violate the District’s campaign finance laws by defrauding the District Office of Campaign Finance.
The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly. In addition, Thompson was assessed a $10,000 fine and three years’ supervised release after his prison term.
According to Phillips, who made the announcement in December 2015, Gray will not face any charges related to the campaign probe of Thompson.