Shortly after pleading guilty to charges that he stole $353,500 from District coffers and filed false tax returns, former Councilmember Harry Thomas Jr., who stepped down last night from the Ward 5 seat once held by his father, read a brief statement outside the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Thomas, wearing a black three-piece suit with silver-and-white necktie, was surrounded by members of his family and his attorneys, Seth Rosenthal and Fred Cooke. Thomas’ statement, which lasted about 90 seconds, was similar to the press release last night announcing his resignation from the D.C. Council:

Let me just say, today I want to apologize to those I let down, including my constituents, friends, neighbors, friends of Ward 5, the residents of this city and my fellow council members and government officials who serve this city tirelessly.

To the young people who I’ve worked with, as well as their parents and caregivers, I offer my sincerest apologies. Through athletics, I have tried to teach you the importance of character and integrity. My conduct set a poor example.

To my family, who’s with my today: I deeply regret the pain that this has caused each of you. I know that your decades of commitment to Ward 5 and the Washington, D.C. community, which has always filled me with pride, will continue. It is through the efforts of individuals like my mother, a public school principal, and my father, a former council member who served as representative of Ward 5 with great distinction, that our community has become great. It is a legacy of service I hope to live up to again.
Finally, I want to thank members of the United States Attorney’s office—Jonathan Haray, Ronald Machen and Vincent Cohen—for the professionalism they have displayed throughout this investigation of me.

Today, I am taking the first step toward making this right. Thank you for your abundance of support and prayers. And I ask the media and the public to allow me and my family privacy, and I have no further comment at this time.

After speaking, Thomas and his wife, Diane, were rushed to a pair of waiting Towncars and whisked away. The former council member did not answer any questions from the surrounding throng of reporters and Ward 5 residents who followed.