Harry Thomas Jr.

Harry Thomas Jr. (born October 21, 1960[1]), is a Democratic politician in Washington, D.C. In 2006 he was elected to represent Ward 5 on the Council of the District of Columbia and served until his resignation in 2012, several hours after federal prosecutors filed charges of embezzlement and filing false tax returns against him.

This article is about the 2007–2012 Washington D.C. City Councilmember. For his father, who held the post before him, see Harry Thomas Sr. For the US Ambassador, see Harry K. Thomas Jr. For other individuals named Harry Thomas, see Harry Thomas (disambiguation).
Harry Thomas Jr.
Thomas in 2023
Council of the District of Columbia, Ward 5
In office
2007–2012
Preceded byVincent Orange
Succeeded byKenyan McDuffie
Personal details
Born (1960-10-21) October 21, 1960
DiedWashington, DC
Political partyDemocrat
ResidenceWashington, D.C.
Alma materBowie State University (B.A.)

Biography

Thomas is the son of late three-term Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas Sr. and former D.C. Public School principal Romaine B. Thomas. Councilmember Thomas attended D.C. public schools and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School. He holds a degree in Public Relations/Marketing from Bowie State University. Thomas was Vice President of Public Affairs for the Public Benefits Corporation (formerly D.C. General Hospital).

Thomas is a former Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, and has served as Chair of the Woodridge Health Clinic. He is a past President of the D.C. Young Democrats and a former At-Large elected member of the D.C. Democratic State party, for which he coordinated local and national events. Councilmember Thomas has worked for the national Democratic Party, holding the office of Treasurer. He has also served as the Adult and Youth Chair of the Neighborhood Planning Council. Councilmember Thomas is a member of the YMCA, NAACP, Omega Psi Phi fraternity, and Woodridge Boys and Girls Club.[2]

Political career

On September 12, 2006, Thomas won the Democratic primary for Ward 5 councilmember with 39 percent of the vote, beating 10 other candidates.[3] The previous Ward 5 member, Vincent Orange, ran for mayor rather than running for reelection. On November 7, 2006, Thomas won the general election with 85 percent of the vote.[4] He was re-elected in 2010.

Felony conviction and incarceration

On June 6, 2011, the D.C. Attorney General released a report accusing Thomas of diverting public funds for personal use.[5] Thomas was accused of using $300,000 in city grants that were earmarked for charity and youth baseball groups to pay for his personal expenses, including golfing vacations and an SUV, which was later seized by the FBI on December 2, 2011, in an ongoing investigation.[6][7] Those baseball groups included the councilmember's own group, Team Thomas – although the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs revoked corporate registration for Team Thomas in 2009, and the Internal Revenue Service never recognized it as a charity.[7] A civil lawsuit filed against him by the district's attorney general was settled in July 2011 when Thomas agreed to repay the $300,000 in six installments over the next three years. Following this agreement, Thomas remained on the council and continued to maintain he was innocent of criminal behavior as the United States Attorney's Office continued to investigate the case.[7]

He resigned his seat on January 5, 2012, several hours after federal prosecutors filed charges of embezzlement and filing false tax returns. Earlier that week he had failed to make his second installment payment on the repayment agreement, amid rumors of the pending criminal charges.[8] Represented by lawyer Karl Racine, on January 6 he pleaded guilty to felony counts of theft of government funds and falsifying tax returns.[9][10]

Thomas' 39-month prison sentence began in June 2013.[11] In 2014, the United States Marshals Service flew Thomas to the District of Columbia to meet with the United States Attorney's Office for an undisclosed reason.[11] In August 2015, Thomas was transferred to a half-way house in Maryland, where he stayed for six months.[12] Thomas' incarceration ended in March 2015.[13]

Life as a returning citizen

In 2020, Thomas became a committeeman for the District of Columbia Democratic State Committee, representing Ward 5.[14] In 2023, he was elected chair of the Ward 5 Democrats in an uncontested election. [15]

References
  1. "2006 Voter's Guide Supplement" (PDF). The Washington Informer. 2006-09-24. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-06-25. Retrieved 2008-08-02.
  2. "Harry Thomas, Jr., Ward 5". Archived from the original on 2010-03-08. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
  3. District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics (2006-09-26). "Election Year 2006: Primary Election Results". Archived from the original on 2008-07-16. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  4. District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics (2006-11-21). "Election Year 2006: General Election Results". Archived from the original on 2008-07-16. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  5. "Investigation by DC Attorney General into Team Thomas Leads to Civil Action for Damages and Injunctive Relief Against Councilmember Harry L. Thomas, Jr". Archived from the original on 2011-08-23. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  6. "Councilmember to pay back $300,000 in District funds he was accused of spending on SUV, golf". The Washington Post. July 22, 2011.
  7. "FBI Searches Harry Thomas' Home". NBC Washington. December 2, 2011.
  8. "D.C. Council member Harry Thomas Jr. resigns after being charged with embezzlement". Washington Post. January 5, 2012.
  9. "Former D.C. Council member Harry Thomas Jr. pleads guilty to felonies". Washington Post. January 6, 2012.
  10. "Former D.C. Councilman Sentenced to 38 Months in Prison for Embezzlement". Legal Times. May 3, 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  11. Noble, Andrea (November 4, 2013). "Imprisoned former council member makes mystery trip to D.C.: Bureau of Prisons says Harry Thomas Jr. is 'in transit'". The Washington Times.
  12. Sommer, Will (August 25, 2014). "Harry Thomas Jr. Returns to the DMV". Washington City Paper.
  13. Sommer, Will (November 10, 2015). "Harry Thomas Jr. Is Back, But He Isn't Running for Office (Yet)". Washington City Paper.
  14. Nirappil, Fenit (March 6, 2020). "After embezzling youth funds, a former D.C. lawmaker reenters politics". Washington Post. Washington, DC. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  15. Koma, Alex (July 18, 2023). "Harry Thomas Jr. Was Elected As Chair of the Ward 5 Dems. Opponents Couldn't Find Anyone to Run Against Him". Washington Post. Washington, DC. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
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