
A former campaign aide to D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray was sentenced in federal court Wednesday to 24 months of probation for lying to investigators looking into payments made from the 2010 campaign to a minor mayoral candidate.

Citing his "substantial assistance" to their ongoing investigation, federal prosecutors on Monday said they are not seeking prison time for an aide to Mayor Vincent C. Gray's 2010 campaign who admitted he paid a minor mayoral candidate with the hope he would stay in the race and bash incumbent Mayor Adrian M. Fenty.

Federal prosecutors indicated Tuesday that their investigation into D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s 2010 campaign is still in full swing by delaying the sentencing of a campaign aide who pleaded guilty to destroying a record of furtive payments to a minor mayoral candidate.

A federal court judge sided with lawyers of former D.C. Council member Harry Thomas Jr. on Thursday by ordering the prison-bound Ward 5 resident to pay $353,000 in restitution to the District instead of a higher figure demanded by prosecutors.

Federal prosecutors provided answers last week to one of the most-pressing questions about D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray's 2010 primary campaign - whether or not staffers paid a minor opponent to stay in the race with the hope he would continue his verbal attacks on incumbent Mayor Adrian M. Fenty.

A second aide to D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray's 2010 campaign pleaded guilty Thursday to lying about furtive payments he made to another candidate and in the process revealed that there were at least several thousand dollars in unattributed donations to the Gray team.

A formal admission that members of D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray's 2010 campaign team paid a minor candidate to bash incumbent Mayor Adrian M. Fenty — whether Mr. Gray knew it or not — has not upset the city's fragile relationship with Capitol Hill at this stage, an official said Wednesday.

D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray implored city residents to "let this investigation play out" after a second operative from his 2010 campaign was criminally charged Wednesday with lying to FBI agents investigating whether the mayor's campaign illegally provided cash to another candidate.

Federal prosecutors dealt a major blow to D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray on Tuesday by validating high-profile claims by a minor 2010 candidate that Mr. Gray's campaign paid him to bash incumbent Mayor Adrian M. Fenty during the race.