D.C. Council member Harry Thomas Jr. resigns after being charged with embezzlement
Harry Thomas Jr. resigned on Thursday night, hours after he became the first sitting D.C. Council member to be charged with a felony, when federal prosecutors accused him of embezzling more than $350,000 in government funds and filing false tax returns.
In a statement issued shortly after 8 p.m., Thomas said: “I am resigning my position as a member of the Council effective immediately. I made some very serious mistakes and exhibited inadequate and flawed judgment. I take full responsibility for my actions. I am truly sorry.”
A plea hearing in the case has been scheduled for Friday morning before U.S. District Judge John D. Bates, and in his statement, the Ward 5 Democrat said he would plead guilty to two federal crimes.
Thomas is the first member of the D.C. Council to resign since the District’s home rule government was first seated, in 1975.
Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/dc-council-member-harry-thomas-jr-charged-with-embezzlement/2012/01/05/gIQAACgidP_story.html