Another individual will soon reportedly plead guilty in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. It comes after the guilty plea of a 71-year-old man who was accused of concealing and failing to report a $350,000 public theft allegedly committed by a former D.C. Council member from Ward 5.

If the accusations are true, it seems that the deck is stacked against the councilman, as he faces sentencing on charges that he embezzled $353,000 in public funds between April 2007 and August 2009. Court records show that the councilman pleaded guilty to the charges a day after resigning from his public office.

The prosecution has stated that the councilman used the money to fund a lifestyle filled with expensive trips and cars. His sentencing, which does not occur until May, could land him in prison for 37 to 46 months.

After pleading guilty, the 71-year-old man said that he would cooperate with prosecutors. He has reported that his youth sports organization received a large sum totaling $392,000 from a public-private nonprofit group in 2008. Once received, $306,000 was cut from the amount in the form of two checks and given to two separate groups affiliated with the former councilman.

The 71-year-old man says that he was instructed to do this by the embattled politician.

The other individual involved, a golf pro at a course in Northeast Washington, was a program director for the youth sports organization. When the $306,000 checks were cut, they were awarded as supposed grants to the former politician's organizations. Both individuals allegedly knew what was going on at this point and will likely be sentenced to prison.

For the councilman, accepting a plea bargain was likely a sign that he did not believe he could be acquitted. Sometimes accepting a plea is a good option because a sentence can be less severe.

Source: Washington Post, "Harry Thomas theft case likely to bring guilty plea by third person," Katherine Driessen, Jan. 13, 2012