Jeanne Clarke Harris, a longtime associate of mega D.C. contractor and campaign contributor Jeffrey Thompson, pictured at right, was charged today with making straw donations to local and federal campaigns. The charges—first reported by the Post’s Mike DeBonis—come a few months after Thompson’s home and office were raided by the feds as part of a wide-ranging investigation into local corruption. Harris’ home was also raided.

The criminal information filed today in U.S. District Court accuses Harris of conspiring with another unnamed individual to steer tens of thousands of dollars from friends and contacts to candidates for office. Harris would ask friends and co-workers to donate to specific candidates and political action committees, and would subsequently reimburse them for the contributions. The scheme—which dated back to 2008 and included contributions to both federal and local candidates—allowed her and her unnamed co-conspirator to get around campaign contribution limits. The criminal information also charges Harris with fraudulently deducting political contributions from the tax bill of a company she owned and operated.

Harris’ charging comes after two confidantes of Mayor Vince Gray were charged with illegally steering money to fringe candidate Sulaimon Brown. (Gray’s campaign driver was linked to Harris, the City Paper reported in April.) It may also mean that Thompson could well be next. Thompson, who was one of D.C.’s biggest contractors, was also a longtime benefactor of candidates from Adrian Fenty to Gray. During last year’s At-Large special election, his associates were said to have donated $26,000 to Councilmember Vincent Orange (D-At Large); Orange recently conceded that some of the contributions were suspicious and asked the D.C. Office of Campaign Finance to investigate them.

Jeanne Clarke Harris Criminal Information