Photo by Hamzat Sani

Vernon Hawkins, a former campaign aide and adviser to Mayor Vincent Gray, was sentenced to six months in prison today, according to Tom Sherwood of NBC4.

In 2013, Hawkins admitted to his role in the “get out the vote” effort, or shadow campaign, to win Vincent Gray the mayoral seat in 2010. Hawkins pleaded guilty to one count of lying to federal investigators about delivering money to a caterer who acted as the campaign’s transportation coordinator. Hawkins eventually admitted that he gave the caterer money to get out of town and avoid speaking to agents.

Hawkins isn’t the first aide to be sentenced. In 2012, Howard Brooks was handed to two years of probation for lying to investigators about campaign finance violations. And in 2013, Thomas Gore was sentenced to six months in prison for his role in secretly paying off a competing candidate to verbally attack Adrian Fenty.

Last December, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips closed the investigation without indicting Gray himself, saying in part that “admissible evidence is likely insufficient to obtain and sustain a criminal conviction against any other individuals related to the federal and local political campaigns.”

Hawkins is the first person to be sentenced since the investigation has closed, while others are still awaiting their fate. Meanwhile, Gray is running a campaign to unseat his former protege Ward 7 Councilmember Yvette Alexander.