Harriette Walters, the alleged mastermind behind D.C.’s largest-ever public corruption scandal, has agreed to plea guilty, The Examiner has learned.
Terms of the deal were not immediately disclosed, but Walters, 51, was charged by information in court papers Monday morning. Defendants can only be charged by information if they waive their right to appear before a grand jury, which is an indication that a plea deal has been worked out.
As a mid-level bureaucrat in D.C.’s tax office, Walters is said to have stolen $48 million in public funds through a series of phony property-tax refunds. The scam lasted decades and at its peak was pulling in millions of dollars per month. Prosecutors allege that the scheme involved dozens of Walters’ friends and relatives.
