Washington developer and former Ward 7 Councilmember H.R. Crawford is known for his real estate dealings, but here’s one he probably doesn’t want to be associated with. Unless Crawford coughs up $13,208.28 in back taxes to the District by July 15, his Eastern Market office will be sold at auction.

The 916 Pennsyvania Ave. SE building is one of 4,400 District properties headed to auction over tax liens. In order to be included in the auction, Crawford’s building would have had to have been in arrears since last October.

Crawford, last in the public eye as a major player in the nepotism scandal at the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, insisted to LL yesterday that the Office of Tax and Revenue had made a mistake. But when reached again later in the day, Crawford promised to pay up.

He’s got a little time—-delinquent owners have until July 15 to pay back their taxes and avert auction. “That was an oversight on our part,” Crawford said.

Photo by Will Sommer