The city’s top prosecutor, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, closed out the probe that has cast a long shadow over District politics, saying that the office likely did not have enough “admissible evidence” to secure any additional convictions.
The decision to shut down the investigation that led to the prosecution of a dozen people connected to Gray’s campaign or to the once-powerful city contractor, Jeffrey E. Thompson, was a stunning turnaround for the U.S. Attorney’s Office. In March 2014, it essentially forecast a prosecution of Gray by accusing him of having detailed knowledge of a corrupt, off-the-books campaign fund. And it did so just weeks before the Democratic primary, in which Gray, then the mayor, was effectively ousted by Muriel E. Bowser, who went on to win the general election.
Gray and his supporters blamed the timing of prosecutors’ allegations for his defeat.
