Photo by ssteege1.

The amount stolen may be lower, but the crime and provenance of the elected official committing it is the same.

The Post reports today that former Ward 5 ANC commissioner William Shelton has been charged with improperly spending close to $30,000 of public funds on personal expenses. And much like Harry Thomas, Jr. before him, it looks like Shelton’s ready to plead guilty to the crime.

As part of an earlier agreement with the District, Shelton said that he’d slowly pay back the money he stole. Additionally, late last year a city board agreed to reimburse the ANC for half the money stolen, using an insurance fund set up for exactly these sorts of situations.

Needless to say, Ward 5 — which is currently looking for a new councilmember — has had better months.