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A former Ward 1 Council candidate admitted today to concealing illegal campaign contributions from businessman Jeffrey Thompson in 2010.

Jeff Smith pleaded guilty in D.C. Superior Court to filing a false and misleading report with the District of Columbia’s Office of Campaign Finance. The 40-year-old education activist concealed more than $140,000 he received from Thompson. From the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia office:

Smith provided a budget to Thompson in March 2010, seeking $140,975 for voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts for his campaign. Then, from March 2010 until September 2010, Thompson used funds, via [Thompson, Cobb, Bazilio and Associates] and [D.C. Healthcare Systems, Inc.], to provide more than $140,000 in coordination with and in support of Smith’s campaign committee. At least part of this money was spent on campaign services and materials.

“Three months ago, Jeff Thompson’s guilty plea pulled back the curtain on widespread corruption that tainted election after election, year after year in D.C. politics,” U.S. Attorney Ron Machen said in a release. “Today Jeff Smith became the third candidate to stand before a judge and confess to taking Thompson’s secret campaign cash. We commend Jeff Smith for acknowledging his misconduct and will press forward with our efforts to hold accountable all those who participated in under-the-table deals with Jeff Thompson.”

Uncle Earl’s illegal campaign contributions have led to guilty pleas from former Councilmember Michael A. Brown and former Council candidate Kelvin Robinson. Thompson claims Mayor Vince Gray knew about a 2010 shadow campaign worth more than $660,000 in donations. Gray has denied this and has not been charged with a crime.

Smith is scheduled to be sentenced in August and faces five years in prison.