At-large Councilman Michael Brown said Thursday that a staff member embezzled money from his campaign bank account, the latest allegation of financial impropriety leveled against a member of the city’s embattled political establishment.
“I discovered information, which indicated that unauthorized disbursements had been made from the campaign bank account by an individual who has assisted my campaigns for over five years,” Brown said in a written statement. “Upon discovering this disturbing fact, I immediately contacted the Metropolitan Police Department.”
Gwendolyn Crump, a spokeswoman for the department, said, “The allegation was brought to our attention, and we are conducting an investigation.” The city’s U.S. Attorney’s Office did not return calls for comment.
Brown said he was replacing campaign treasurer Hakim Sutton immediately.
Asher Corson, a Brown campaign spokesman, would not say whether Sutton was suspected of involvement in the alleged theft of funds. But he said Sutton had been removed from all campaign operations.
Reached by telephone after Brown’s announcement, Sutton still identified himself as the campaign treasurer and said he was “trying to piece together” what had transpired.
Brown, an independent who is up for re-election this fall, has a sizable campaign war chest. In a June filing to District campaign finance regulators, Brown reported he had more than $115,000 in cash on hand for the Nov. 6 contest.
