Businessman accused of more secret campaign spending

A District of Columbia businessman, who is under investigation for allegedly financing a secret $653,000 funding campaign for Mayor Vincent Gray in 2010, has also been accused of spending money on secret campaigns for seven other candidates for the mayor and D.C. Council.

Businessman Jeffery Thompson spent hundreds of thousands of dollars, including more than $100,000 in 2006 for the unsuccessful mayoral campaign of Linda Cropp.

Money has secretly gone to many other D.C. candidates in recent years. Funding has allegedly gone to former Councilmember Michael Brown and to the Council candidacies of Patrick Mara and Mark Long in 2008.

Thompson also allegedly spent money in 2010 for Council candidates Jeff Smith and Kelvin Robinson, and for Councilmember Vincent Orange in 2011.

Cropp, who lost the mayoral primary to Adrian Fenty in 2006, said she had no knowledge of any illicit spending by Thompson for her campaign.

Mara also said he was not aware of any secret money from Thompson.