Washington, D.C. Council Chairman Kwame Brown resigned from his seat on Wednesday night, hours after he was charged with bank fraud, forcing the city government into a leadership crisis. In his resignation letter to the council secretary, he wrote, “Because of the great respect that I have for the institution that is the Council of the District of Columbia, I have chosen the only honorable course in submitting my resignation at this time. I simply will not hold this body, and its important work hostage to the resolution of my personal indiscretions.”
Earlier on Wednesday, prosecutors filed a three-page charging document in D.C.’s federal court accusing the Democratic chairman of falsifying records in applications to obtain a home loan and to buy a $50,000 powerboat, reportedly named “Bullet Proof.” Brown overstated his income by “tens of thousands of dollars” in the two-year scheme that started in August 2005, according to federal prosecutors. The 41-year-old is scheduled to attend a plea hearing on Friday before U.S. District Court Judge Richard J. Leon. Bank fraud charges carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, but under federal sentencing guidelines, Brown will face a lesser potential punishment. Brown is the second councilmember to resign as a result of federal charges. Harry Thomas Jr. was charged in early May and sentenced to three years in prison for embezzlement.
