The federal investigation into the shadow campaign that helped elect Vince Gray in 2010 has stayed mostly quiet during Gray’s 2014 bid. But that could change soon, with the Washington Post reporting that alleged shadow campaign financier Jeff Thompson is close to cutting a plea deal with U.S. Attorney Ron Machen.

The investigation into Thompson, once the owner of a District Medicaid contractor and part-owner of a well-connected accounting firm,  has reached as far afield as the Virgin Islands and as far back as Hillary Clinton‘s presidential campaign. But a Thompson plea deal would have the most immediate impact on Gray’s election chances.

At last week’s WAMU debate, Gray said his attorney had provided prosecutors with some information that they had requested for their investigation. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to talk with LL about Thompson, while Thompson attorney Brendan V. Sullivan Jr. didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Photo courtesy Charles Parsons