Jeff Thompson could call two District councilmembers as witnesses in his legal battle over allegedly plundering a Medicaid contractor, according to court documents.

Thompson, who pleaded guilty last year to funding the 2010 shadow campaign to elect Vince Gray mayor, has been fighting a separate civil lawsuit over purportedly shady deals. According to a lawsuit filed against him by D.C. Chartered Health Plan, Thompson’s former Medicaid contractor now in city receivership, Thompson allegedly looted the company with bogus contracts to other companies he controlled.

Thompson’s management left Chartered with $10 million in debts above its value, according to Chartered’s lawyers. But now Thompson thinks that Ward 7 Councilmember Yvette Alexander and former at-large Councilmember David Catania can help him make his defense. Thompson names Alexander and Catania, the current and former chairs of the Council’s health committee, on a prospective witness list filed last week.

Other District bigwigs on Thompson’s witness list include Department of Healthcare Finance Director Wayne Turnage, Gray Budget Director Eric Goulet, and Adrian Fenty-era City Administrator Neil Albert.

Court records also reveal attorneys for Chartered wondering whether Thompson has any money left to sue for. After one discussion this summer between the parties, one of Thompson’s attorneys cryptically said that Chartered’s lawsuit was a waste of time.

Thompson’s nebulous money situation has left the plaintiffs worried that Thompson, who has started calling in old debts while still paying for some of the country’s most expensive legal talent, doesn’t have any money to recover. That’s put lawyers in the awkward position of deciding whether this lawsuit actually is a waste of time.

“Please forgive me if these (sic) seems impertinent—we recognize that Mr. Thompson’s business affairs have changed substantially,” one attorney wrote to Thompson’s defense.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery