harry thomas jr. was sentenced for stealing more than $350,000 in government funds. this is thomas as he walked into a packed u.s. courtroom. he is expected to address the court. the government wants thomas sentenced to 46 months in prison and three years of supervised progression. the defense is seeking an 18 month sentence. his mother asked for the leniency for her son and spoke about the family's service to the community. we hope to have a live report as soon as court adjourns. >>> a federal judge is expected to sentence a government employee for stealing thousands of recordings from the national archives and selling them on e bay. he pleaded guilty to theft of government property in october and will likely spend a year and a half in prison. he says he sold the stolen merchandise on e bay. >>> a cyclist was struck and killed this morning. it happened in the morning rush hour in olney. this is footage of the scene shortly after the deadly collision. at this point, investigators are not releasing the

councilman harry thomas, jr. is awaiting his fate. >> a federal judge will hand down his sentence for his part in a corruption scandal. developments are happening now. >> good afternoon. harry thomas, jr. is on the stand right now, as we are out here. he is pleading with the judge to give him a lighter sentence. he walked into court early this morning with his attorneys dressed in a gray suit, very stoic, and a straight face. the prosecutor told the judge that the court has the opportunity to send a clear message that when you steal from those used or to serve, you will pay a high price. they are asking for 46 months in jail, three months of probation, and paying back restitution. defense attorneys are asking for a lesser sentence. it would like him to the 18 months in jail, 16 months of home detention, and 15 hours of community service. they called three witnesses to the stand this morning to talk to the judge about harry thomas, jr., the man, not the councilman. his nephew also took the stand. finally, we also

harry thomas jr.'s lawyers want something less. later this morning harry thomas jr. will be in federal court and listened as the judge tells him how long he was going to prison. earlier this year, he admitted to embezzling more than $350,000 in government money that was supposed to go to u.s. exports. in addition to four years behind bars prosecutors have asked that he be on parole for three years after he is released. they also recommend he be forced to pay more than $350,000 in restitution. he had been on the d.c. council since 2006 and resigned in january after the charges were filed. harry thomas jr.'s lawyers wrote a letter to the judge on tuesday and we will let you know what is in that letter coming up in 30 minutes. >> thanks so much. also today, a prince william county woman will learn her sentence for barricading her three daughters in a room with dry wall. she pleaded guilty to child abuse charges. she was supposed to be sentenced in january but it was delayed while she sought treatment for

harry thomas jr. will learn his sentence are taking money that was supposed to go to youth sports programs. we were live at u.s. district court this morning with the details. >> good morning. prosecutors want harry thomas jr. to go away to prison for four years. his defense attorney would like him to only go to prison for 18 months. they say some of the claims made by prosecutors were unjustified. later this morning, harry thomas jr. will listen as the judge tells him how long he is going to prison. earlier this year, thomas admitted to embezzling more than two of depicted thousand dollars in government money that was supposed to go to youth sports. prosecutors have also asked the judge that thomas be on parole for three years after his release. they also recommend he be forced to pay more than $350,000 in restitution. he resigned in january after the charges were filed. harry thomas jr.'s lawyers say they want him to face a lighter sentence because of what they say are "positive is." we will have mor

councilmember, harry thomas junior. utors say thomas took $446,000 in taxpayer money to finance a lavish lifestyle. those tax dollars were meant for district children. witnesses have already taken the stand on his behalf. the former ward five councilmember pleaded guilty to the charges in january. >>> earlier today, the federal government released nearly 200 pages of documents recovered from osama bin laden's pakistan compound. s.e.a.l. team 6 grabbed the documents during last year's raid. the letters don't reveal specific attacks or plots, but did call attacking america the ultimate goal. >>> and new today, virginia attorney general ken cuccinelli is taking a high-tech approach to fighting gangs. today he introduced a new initiative to create video games that teach kids about the risks and consequences of joining a gang. george mason university's computer game design program will develop the games. the attorney general said he hopes to use the games to combat other issues that kids are facing if this program turns out t

harris thomas jr.'s father is, of course, harry thomas sr., also a former ward county council member. >> yeah, you know, it was actually my question from the last time that he brought it up from court today and he finally answered it, responding to my question. he said that he wanted to fess up to admit the mistake and take responsibility again. >> that's what they did in court today. thank you, bruce. back to you. >>> he picked up a key endorsement today. this time from one of his former rivals. the minnesota congresswoman, michele bachmann, she made the announcement in virginia where she joined governor bob mcdonald in campaigning with romney. and now bachmann was a long- time favorite of the tea party, but dropped out after finishing sixth in the iowa caucuses. now she is calling on republicans to get behind romney and to help defeat president obama. >> i am honored to be able to be here to introduce not only governors bob mcdonald, but the fabulous governor for the state of virginia and also to lend

but harry thomas, jr.'s political career is over. there is no marion barry-like phoenix return. he is done. >> reporter: now, yesterday, thomas' attorneys pressed for a lighter sentence. they are accusing federal prosecutors of stretching the facts and ignoring the ex- councilman's contributions for the community. he could have received a 13- year sentence in all for the crimes he pleaded guilty to. but they agreed to knock that down to a maximum of four years for him to plead guilty on. we will find out what the judge decides when that hearing begins here in federal court at 9:30 this morning. >>> we we'll be watching. thank you. >>> also making headlines this morning, one of the parents convicted of child abuse in bristow, virginia will be sentenced today. christina moore admitted to nailing a piece of drywall over a bedroom doorway so her three young children could not get out. the kids were not hurt but they were ages four, three and 1 months at the time of the arrest last year. children's father also pleaded guilty in the case. he was sentenced to three years probation and t

harry thomas, jr. admitted to stealing money meant for his youth baseball league to pay for lavish vacations and high priced vehicles. records show he started taking city money just days after he was elected to office. but his supporters have written the judge asking for leniency, asking the judge to consider his years of public service. thomas comes from a long line of activists in ward 5. his father was a long-time former council member for the ward and his mother a school administrator. the mayor was asked earlier this week about whether or not he has spoken to harry thomas, jr. he hasn't spoken to him in the recent past he says. he has spoken to thomas' mother. he says on the record thomas comes from a good family and he doesn't know what went wrong. he says his heart goes out to the family. however, it is this kind of corruption that is fueling the race to fill his vacant council seat. coming up at 5:30, we'll have more on the special election coming up in just a matter of a couple of weeks. back

the ward has been deeply divided since the harry thomas, jr. corruption scandal exploded. the thomas family carries a major influence in this area. his late father served as a long-time -- long time council member. while there are still many loyals, there are a lot of folks taking this as an opportunity for change, including 28-year-old delano hunter who ran against thomas in 2010. if elected he would be the youngest official in office. while kathy henderson has a long record as a commissioner. both say time for transparency in government is now. >> i could be an independent voice. i know who to answer to. that's the residents of the ward. i never served at pleasure of the council or the mayor so that gives me a level of independence that i think is above of the other competitors. >> we're seeing machine politics at its worst. citizens need someone that can go down to the wilson building that they can depend on, that they can trust that has a proven record of accomplishment. >> reporter: whoever is elected will serve the rest of harry thomas' jr.'s sterm -- thomas jr.'s ter

>> are you talking about harry thomas jr.? >> yeah. >> that's the end of harry thomas, jr. the mayor is right. a wonderful mother. widely respected and his father was a city council member. she was a principal. she is beloved. but harry thomas, jr.,'s political career is over. there's no marion barry like phoenix return. he is done. >> all right. fox 5 political analyst, thanks for coming in. >> thank you. >>> fox 5 is monitoring metro tonight in the stalemate that is threatening phase two of the silver line to dulles. the showdown is over union labor and its role in a warding of the phase two construction contract. bob is here now with today's developments. bob. >> the obama administration's senior transportation official used the power of his office and nearly a billion dollars in federal moneys to call a high level meeting of the key silver line players to get the project back on track. >> this project will move forward. >> a cautiously upbeat u.s. transportation secretary, ray lahood after hosting the meeting at dot headquarters in southeast. >> the metro system is amer

council member harry thomas, jr. will be sentenced today for embezzling more than $300,000 meant for d.c. youth programs. he resigned after being convicted in january. thomas' lawyers have asked the judge to consider his time spent in public service and believe a year and a half in prison would be fair. >> rather than facing a four- year term on the d.c. council, he will face the prospect of serving three to four years in prison. >> he has a wonderful wife, mom, wonderful family. i extend my heart to them in hopes they will be able to get through this. >> the sentencing hearing will start at 9:30 in federal court this morning. we will be life outside the courthouse all morning long. coming up in 25 minutes, mark blot kip weighs in on whether thomas will go directly to jail after being sentenced. >>> your help is needed to find a 12-year-old girl from fairfax county who has been missing for almost a week now. we'll put her picture up here on the screen. there she is. this is ashley may o'brien. she left her home on oak

. >>> all right julie thank you very much today's big story sentencing of harry thomas junior. >> former dc councilman embezzled hundreds of thousands of dc dollars. live at the federal courthouse, mel good morning. >> reporter: good morning allison. the sentencing hearing begins 9:30 a.m., we believe prosecutors will allow harry thomas junior to report to federal prison on his own. the excouncilman pleaded guilty in january to federal tax and theft charges after a long investigation into the misuse of public funds prosecutors say harry thomas junior set up his scheme to steal pubic money immediate -- public money, immediately upon taking office. money for youth programs was funneled to his personal accounts in all $353,000 was spent on luxury suvs. lavish vacations clothing restaurants thomass attorneys are pressing for an 18 month sentence for their clients guilty plea at the time of the plea, the u.s. attorney called thomas' actions outrageous conduct that can only be described as a flag rant abuse of the public trust. >> from everybody i talked to, they seemed to tell me they can't b

a shocker to me that it happened. >> reporter: mayor gray said wednesday he had no spoke with harry thomas recently and talked with thomas' mother. >> he has a wonderful wife, wonderful mom and family and i extend my heart to them and hope they can get through this. >> reporter: 92 people, including harry thomas' mother, wife, and children, sent letters to the judge john baits asking for leniency. they want baits to consider thomas' long record of serving residents of ward 5. thomas' attorneys believe a year and a half would be a fair prison sentence. the u.s. attorney indicated months ago that how long thomas should serve for his crimes against those he represented. >> rather than face another four-year term, mr. thomas will face the prospect of serving three to four years in prison. >> reporter: the sentenceing will begin tomorrow morning in federal court at 9:30 and is unclear if harry thomas will make a final at the same time to the judge. if sentenced to time in prison, it's likely he will be given a date of when to serve that time, shawn. >> we'll be watching. thank you, matt ackland

when you talk about somebody like the mayor or the chief of the council. >> reporter: back to harry thomas. the attorneys asked to send him to prison in florida or alabama. the like, excuse me, as well as a date for thomas to report to jail and that will be decided in the future. >>> and rob garig iaola issued a reprimand and that stems from a complaint raised during his senate primary campaign. he failed to disclose income he received from a d.c. lobbying firm. >>> a college park bouncer free on $50,000 bond tonight. marcus plumber charged with first- and second-degree assault and wreckless endangerment related to an incident from saturday night. plummer punched, choked, and threw to the ground the disorderly customer. the victim was in the air force and critically hurt. >>> be careful what you like. coming up, a look at the top three mistakes on facebook to make you an easy target for hackers. >>> and some of you could look for a bus stop. sue. >>> and hey, brian. it's warming up in a lot of places. the temperature in the district is 81 degrees and once again today, that is one of the da

now as of tonight, harry thomas jr. is still a free man and he will probably be that way for some weeks. he'll be notified by the bureau of prisons when and where to report and that will probably be to a minimum security facility. and to hear more about his sentencing -- and here to hear more about his sentencing, he could have gotten more months, but he got 48. >> yes, that's pretty stiff. i think that the judge tried to balance his good deeds as a part of his job, but also his really good deeds with kids in thecommunity coming from an iconic family from ward 5. >> we heard from the u.s. attorney who basically wanted to send a message that he thought that the judge sent a message too, throwing the book at him? >> i hate to agree with the u.s. attorney's office, but i think so. i think the judge was sending a message that if you're a public official, if you steal or do wrong, you'll spend time in jail. and three years is a pretty significant time. maybe the first time a public elected official locally has gone to jail p

. >>> who will replace harry thomas junior on dc city council. talking to residents in ward 5 ahead of to morrow's special election, we will be right back >>> lawyers for john edwards opened up their case today. after weeks of testimony about his affair and whether donor money was used to cover it up his attorneys are focussing on campaign finance law. the first witness, the cfo for his campaign committee she says money from two donors in question was never reported because the fdc said it was unnecessary. edwards pled not guilty to if he rad finance violations. >>> chairman -- federal finance violations. >>> chairman is refusing to meet with this woman, lawyers asked his staff for a meeting in his office on the hill. king said he declined noting the meeting would have invite add media circus. nine secret service agents lost their jobs in the wake of that scandal. >>> president obama making a pitch to women a crucial voting block in the presidential election. his campaign is also going after mitt romney in an attack ad, criticizing his work as a

council member harry thomas jr. he stepped down after pleading guilty to embezzling more than $350,000 of taxpayer money meant for children. 12 candidates are running to fill the ward 5 council seat which represents part of northeast d.c. that border the maryland state line. so far election officials say nearly 2,000 people have already voted in this special election with early voting and absentee ballots. >>> new from overnight, virginia lawmaker blocked a richmond prosecutor from becoming the state's first openly gay judge. in a late night vote, the house of delegates only gave tracy thorn-begland 30 votes for judgeship, 51 are needed. thorn-begland was one of two candidates among several nominees not approved. >>> colorado lawmakers rejected a last-ditch effort to give gay couples rights similar to married couples. republicans voted against civil unions legislation. it would have let partners make medical decisions for each other and enhance their parental and inheritance rights. a republican-controlled house com

some say, harry thomas' jr.'s fall should serve as a warning for others who are looking to take his spot. >> we can't practice the right thing and do the wrong thing. >>> on the national front, voters are heading to the polls for primaries in oregon and nebraska today. but with ron paul effectively quitting the race last night, mitt romney no longer has any challenges for the republican nomination. meantime, the ad wars have begun with new political attacks from both the obama and romney campaigns. the latest cbs news "new york times" poll shows that romney has a slight lead over the president right now. 46% say they would vote for romney and 43% say they would choose president obama. the survey was conducted between may 11th and the 13th. >>> day two of maryland's special legislative session starts at 10:00 this morning and lawmakers are trying to avoid $500 million in budget cuts because they failed to pass a budget in the regular session. today, the senate is voting on governor o'malley's package that raises t

harry thomas, jr. facing anywhere from 18 months to three and a half years behind bars for pleading guilty to two felony counts of theft. after months of denying the allegations, the disgraced former council member admitted to stealing more than $350,000 meant for kids. he used the money to pay for vacations and high priced vehicles which were seized during an f.b.i. raid of his home. court documents detailed just how he hatched this plot days after election. he set up two end if is, including his youth baseball league. when they got city money, he got kickbacks. hirs first kickback? -- his first kickback? $25,000. it came just months after he took office in 2007. but a possible council investigation to look into how he got this money in the first place and why it never made it to the kids, that council investigation was blocked. we'll tell you why coming up at 6:30. back to you. >> delia goncalves reporting live in northwest washington this morning. >>> 6:15 now. >> this man admits he set a fire in a

it was tim day who first raised questions about fund raising for harry thomas, jr.'seball league team thomas. we now know it took some time but thomas eventually admitted to stealing more than $350,000 from taxpayers. the tax accountant ran against thomas in 2010. he's honing his label as whistle blower will urge residents to vote him in office. >> we have to let them know i'm not doing this because i need a job. i'm doing this because the people of ward five and all of the district of columbia need a strong voice and advocate for them. >> reporter: although analysts are predicting a low voter turnout so far we're told by the d.c. board of elections and ethics more than 2200 people have cast their ballots in early and absentee voting. polls around the ward open at 7:00 a.m., just a half-hour away. they close tonight at 8:00. andrea, mike, back to you. >> thank you, delia. >>> right now at wusa9.com learn more about all the candidates in today's election. we posted a voter guide. when the polls close tonight at 8:00, we'll post election results right on the front page

throughout ward 5, voters are going to the polls to try and put the harry thomas scandal behind themect the candidate to take their place. turnout was light with 3,000 ballots cast with the threat of rain promising to keep the afternoon and evening crowds away. ten democrats are vying for the seat, which thomas resigned from after pleading guilty to stealing $353,000 from city youth programs. >> mr. thomas had larceny in his heart when he -- before he was sworn in. >> people are upset to discuss it and turned away. we are trying to bring people back together. i will bring the war together. all sections of this ward because we need some healing. >> there are ten democrats out here today vying to fill harry thomas' seat. that winner will fill out the remainder of his term. the harder part may be mending all the wounds caused by the scandal. this is bruce johnson reporting for 9news now. >> one candidate in colorado isn't promising a chicken in every pot, but he says writing him in for president is a no brainer. this is mike, the headless chicken. you heard me right, headless chicken. t

that's the very same seat say catted by harry thomas -- vacated by harry thomas jr.. thomas was sentenced to 38 months for stealing more than $350,000 from youth sports programs then falsifying his tax returns. he was forced to resign from his ward five council seat as part of the plea bargain with prosecutors. on tuesday the polls in ward five will be open from 7:00 in the morning until 8:00 in the evening. the winner will serve out the remainder of harry thomas jr.'s term which runs through 2014. >>> just ahead, well, some showers threaten mother's day? how dare they? anny has the update when we come back. today is gonna be an important day for us. you ready? we wanna be our brother's keeper. what's number two we wanna do? bring it up to 90 decatherms. how bout ya, joe? let's go ahead and bring it online. attention on site, attention on site. now starting unit nine. some of the world's cleanest gas turbines are now powering some of america's biggest cities. siemens. answers. on my feet and exactly where i needed more support. then, i got my number. my tired, achy fee

>> no comment. >> no comment from harry thomas jr. as he left the courthouse minutes after learning he was going to prison for about three years. earlier in court thomas told the judge this is the weakest moment in my life and also said, "i have harmed the interest of the district of columbia which i love." thomas' mother remain thomas pleaded for mercy and leniency as other family members wiped away tears. she told the judge she had lectured her son on the harm he has brought to his family. kelly collins, a thomas supporter, was inside the courtroom. oom. >> i felt that the sentence was fair. the judge did have compassion. they saw the growth in harry thomas. >> reporter: prosecutors even admitted thomas had worked hard for his community before he became a council member, but the court should not show mercy because thomas stole from the people he said he wanted to help, d.c.'s youth. >> there are so many people that are praying for the family as well as harry thomas. so we just want to get him back in the community. there's so much mo

thomas' sentence should send a message to others who want to defraud the government. >> reporter: harry thomas jr. had nothing to say to reporter as he left the courthouse. earlier thomas told judge john bates that he had humiliated his family and community and said, "what i did was wrong, your honor, and i broke the law." >> reporter: u.s. attorney ron machen spoke to us not long after sentencing. >> i think justice was served today. i think a powerful message was sent that if you engage in public corruption that there will be consequences and you'll forfeit not only ill gotten gains of your corrupt conduct, but your freedom. >> reporter: when asked about other investigations currently underway and to mayor vincent gray and council chairman kwame brown, machen was limited in what he could say. >> we really can't talk about that. i can tell you we're obviously working as hard as we can. we understand there's a sense of urgency, but we have to do a very thorough comprehensive inquiry and it takes time. >> reporter: do you have to be more careful when it involves someone like the mayor? >> certa

harry thomas jr. will be sentenced for embezzlement. "news 4" megan mcgrath is outside the courthouse with more on the today's hearing. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. harry thomas jr. is going to jail for em bezment and later he'll learn how long he'll spend behind bars. back in january he resigned from his council seat and pleaded guilty to stealing more than $350,000 in city money. the plea came after a lengthy fbi investigation and raid on thomas's home. a motorcycle, suv and other items were confiscated by investigators during that raid. prosecutors say thomas took hundreds of thousands of dollars ear marked for youth sports programs and used that money to fund his lavish lifestyle. the money was used on cars, expensive trips, restaurants, clothes. prosecutors are asking for a prison sentence of 46 months. that's a little less than four years. thomas's attorney is asking for an 18-month prison sentence. sentence is going to happen around 9:30 this morning. reporting from the courthouse,

. >> harry thomas jr.entence for stealing more than $350,000 of funds meant for sports programs. employers are asking for -- lawyers are asking for 18 months. >> the rangers took the lead in a playoff series. and lasted more than four hours. the new york rangers scored the winning goal in the third overtime. >> a former national archives employee who admitted to stealing hundreds of historic recordings will be sentenced today. they pleaded guilty to the united states property. he faces 18 months in jail. they still nearly a thousand recordings from as far back as the 1920's. he plans to sell them on ebay. a bouncer is under arrest after allegedly assaulting and critically injuring a customer. he was kicked out of r.j. bentley's for throwing a drink on a woman. when he tried to return, the bouncer choked and part touched him. he is charged with assault and reckless endangerment. >> drivers are urged to be careful as they're looking for the man accused of impersonating a police officer. he is already targett

harry thomas re?iepped january and is headed to prison -- resigned in january and is headed to prison. there are 17 polling stations open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 this evening. own ward 5 residents have k. vote in the special election. >>> kwame brown is going to join us in studio to talk more about the special election and also preview some initiatives and programs expected to be in the new budget proposal. that is going be for unveil today for fiscal year 2013. >>> to maryland now and a fight over higher income tax in the state house continues. the democratic controlled general assembly is racing to approve the tax increases to avoid $500 million in automatic cuts. outside the state house in annapolis, some protesters oppose the tax hikes. others don't want cuts to schools and state workers. the senate votes on governor o'malley's proposals later today. >>> a budget battle in richmond too. virginia's house of delegates shot down two proposalled by governor bob mcdonnell. one would have aferl loud fay

harry thomas jr. rushed past reporters into federal court to be sentenced for his theft of more than $350,000 in city funds and filing false income taxes for three years. prosecutors had sought a 46-month term. thomas had asked for 18 months. the judge said 38 months. >> i think today's sentence sent an important message that public corruption will not be tolerated in our city. harry thomas will now serve more than three years in prison. >> reporter: but first thomas's mother, a prominent political figure in her own right told judge john bates i humbly and passionately plead for mercy for my son. thomas himself said what is wrong? i broke the law. i humiliated my family. i humiliated my mother. he said i took this money because it was a sense of entitlement. my needs ahead of everyone. thomas pleaded guilty in january to two felony counts after several years of siphoning city money intended for youth programs he championed. he also resigned the council seat his father once held before him. judge bates

harry thomas jr. rushed past reporters into federal court to be sentenced for his theft of more than $350,000 in city funds and filing falls income taxes for three years. prosecutors had sought a 46-month term. thomas had asked for 18 months. the judge said 38 months. but first, thomas's mother, a prominent political figure in her own right, told judge bates i humbly and passionately plead for mercy for my son. thomas himself said, what i did was wrong. i broke the law. i humiliated my family. i humiliated my mother. thomas pleaded guilty in january to two felony counts after several years of siphoning city money intended for youth programs, programs he championed. he also resigned the council seat his father once held before him. judge bates, who noted thomas's earlier positive work with young people agreed with prosecutors that thomas led the scam that cheated city children. this is a case of betrayal, the judge said. these programs were to benefit under privileged and needy children. most of the st

this is a special election to fill the seat of harry thomas jr. the first council member forced out of office, the first council member headed to prison. >> people haven't gotten over it. they are here to pick the best candidate. >> special election is costing $318,000. add to that $353,000 that thomas stole from youth programs and another $100,000 that he steered to an improper inaugural ball. federal and local taxes he failed to pay, we're talking a total of more than $800,000. >> you look at the cost, probably around a million dollars, but it's deeper than that. ward 5 hasn't been paid up for five months. and we don't have an active voice. >> reporter: that $800,000 could have given senior citizens $1,000 each to pay utility bills. 400 families could have gotten $2,000 each to help with college expenses. first time home buyers could have gotten $4,000 each for down payments. >> mr. thomas had larceny in his heart before he was even sworn in. >> reporter: as for the former council member, he is at home waiting as to where he'll be serving that 3

. >>> just two weeks after harry thomas, jr. was sentenced to more than three years in jail, the election to replace him on the city council is under way. delia goncalves has a look at the top candidates and early voting in ward five. >> reporter: despite the rain, residents are heading out to the polls casting their ballots for change in ward five. >> we're going to have a new day in ward five starting tomorrow. >> reporter: ken mcduffy is one of the front runners in a crowd feel of 11 candidates. he says he feels good about his prospects despite critics who say his work in the mayor's office may have tainted his reputation. >> i answer to the residents of the ward. i never served at the pleasure of the council or the mayor. >> we need someone who can go down to the wilson building that they can depend on, they can trust and has a proven record of accomplishment. >> reporter: but it was tim day, the lone republican in the race who first blew the witting about disgraced council member harry thomas jr.'s finances. >> i have conti

he is expected to sit in the same spot as harry thomas, jr.sat, but he won't have the same office. his office space was considered a better office space. and mcduffy will be moving into vincent's spot. >>> and the well nope message, no taxation without representation to be added to the d.c. flag. the proposal would allow the modified flag to be flown on flag day. flying the flag on flag day is great but flying that flag and adopting it officially every day is what we really need to do because it is a way of getting that message out into the consciousness of the country. >> the district does not currently possess any of these flags no taxation without representation inscription and i would point out that the design and purchase of flags to fly at the 415 government installations which currently fly d.c. flags would cost us close to $50,000. >> the d.c. flag has had its current looks since it was officially adopted nearly 75 years ago. >>> a six-year-old northern virginia girl made history today. she took the stage as the youngest contestant aft

council and for harry thomas jr., and sentenced on thursday to 38 months f for empwez annualment. >>>ing responsibility and saving the city for having to go through a costly and lengthy period of litigation. but the 38 months is really no b surprise. the plea agreement called for three years and mr. thomas was trying to get an 18-month sentence. it's an opportunity for ward now is the time to roll up your sleeves. >> are you throwing your support in one direction or another? >> i am just looking at how you address the issues. the mayor put in the budget for two middle schools, and the renovation of dunbar senior high school, and the economic development we have in the pipeline in ward five and just overall, this person is going tç be key at the counsel. we had a deadlock.ñs>j76-6. that's a huge job, and we are looking for a good person to represent ward five. >> it could be a swing vote when it's 6-6. you raised the mayors' budget back four days. where do you stand on that? >> i think the employees should be paid for the four furlough days. at the beginning of that fiscal year the cit

councilman harry thomas junior will spend behind bars.ty back in january to embezzling $350,000 earmarked for the youth sports programs. joining us this morning liz farmer who has been covering the trial and other council news. you've written really eye opening articles about what goes on in council chambers. first, let's talk about harry thomas, jr. were you surprised with the sentence? it could have been lower. this judge had some room to make it a lower time, but he didn't do that. >> no, he didn't. and throughout, you know, i could feel myself trying to guess what's it going to be throughout the proceeding. i think a lot of us had the sense he wouldn't go as far as prosecutors wanted, which was almost four years, but would definitely get more than the 18 months thomas's attorneys requested, and he leaned much more towards the four years. it's three years and two months, which is more than twice as much as his attorneys wanted. i don't think it's necessarily a surprising sentence. what was interesting though is the judge's demeanor and

. >> harry thomas junior embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars meant for dc youth programs. melanie alnwick is live outside the federal courthouse. mel. >>> good morning allison, well, the sentencing hearing is supposed to get under way in a half hour thomas agreed in january to plead guilty to one count of theft, concerning programs, receiving federal funds and one count of filing a false tax return, he did arrive at the federal courthouse a short time ago he walked into the building, without a lot of fanfare. the excouncilman faced charges that could carry a sentence up to 13 years prosecutors made a plea bargain that reduced it to four years, he set up his scheme to steal federal money, immediately upon taking office as ward 5 councilman, february 2007 and continue that had scheme for years, city youth money was funneled to his personal accounts in all, $353,000 was spent on luxury suvs, lavish vacations, clothing, restaurants his attorneys are pressing for just an 18 month sentence for their clients guilty plea at the time of the plea agreement, the u.s. attorney called

d.c.s youth. >> and there are so many people that are praying for the family as well as harry thomas. we want to get him back in the community. there is so much more we can benefit from from him being in the community than incarcerated. >> reporter: the judge could have sentenced thomas to 51 months in prison. the judge john baits said that he would not ignore thomas' community service before the crimes he carried out. >> it's a sad day for the district. was in some betrayal there and out of betrayal comes forgiveness. >> reporter: when they knew thomas was going to jail, his attorneys then asked the judge if he would consider sipping him to prison in pensacola, florida, or montgomery, alabama. all of that will be decided in the future. meanwhile, coming up at 6, we'll speak to the u.s. attorney about this case and other investigations he's conducting into other d.c. leaders. >> i know they're trying to decide where harry thomas judge will go. do we know when he will have to report to prison? >> reporter: as i was just saying, it has to be determined at this point is come they don't k

he will replace disgraced former councilman harry thomas, jr. who was on his way to prison for theft. with more than 44% of the vote this appears to be a decisive victory. there were 12 names on the ballot and he trumped them all with his closest competition delano hunter garnering 20% of the vote. ward 5 has been desperate for leadership since tom top stepped down in scandal -- harry thomas, jr. stepped down in scandal back in january. mcduffie is a lawyer. he worked most recently for deputy mayor for public safety. he was thrilled at his victory tonight but modest. >> i feel good. it feels like the work is only about to begin. >> reporter: did you expect it? >> i didn't. i felt confident ward 5 voters wanted a new day and wanted somebody who would stand firm on integrity and i felt confident that we had a campaign that was going to work harder than any other in the race. >> the board of elections still has to count provisional and absentee votes to certify the election. >>> district council didn't need to raise taxes in the new city budget. pa

that's the seat vacated by harry thomas, jr., who's awaiting word on what prison he'll be reporting to. thomas was sentenced to 38 months for stealing more than $350,000 from youth sports programs, then falsifying his tax returns. he was forced to resign from his ward 5 council seat, part of a plea bargain with prosecutors. on tuesday, the polls at ward 5 will be open from 7:00 in the morning until 8:00 at night. the winner will serve out the remainder of harry thomas' term which runs through 2014. >>> popular summer vacation destination for many in the washington area has a new noise law tonight. the mayor and town council in dewey beats, delaware, voted to tighten noise levels on businesses after-year round residents complained about disturbances from bars and restaurants. bar owners and managers could be fined $500 and they could be arrested for violations. restaurant owners say the limits are too restricted. >>> coming up tonight on 9 news now, just a little stroll. >> i would say there's a good chance that i'll walk the entire 1200 feature and walk back. >> this little stroll is a

keptian mcduffie easily won the special election to replace disgraced harry thomas, jr. who is now headed to police phone stealing city funds. mcduffie received nearly 45% of the vote, more than twice the number of his closest competitor. he is an attorney . he was modest in victory. >> it feels good. it feels like the work is only about to begin. >> did you expect it? >> i didn't. i felt confident that ward 5 voter wanted a new day. i felt confident that they wanted someone who would stand firm on integrity. >> mcduffie will be sworn in after the results are certified may 30th. this morning, he will join us in the studio during our #:00 hour to talk about the election and what is ahead. >>> in the district, the city council approved expanded sales of alcohol in balancing a $9.4 billion budget. the mayor thanks the council for not include taxes and fees. doe was facing a $170 million budget gap. chairman kwame brown says the extended alcohol sales will allow bars to stay open longer. >>> maryland lawmakers are one step closer to approving a budget bill. house of delegate

kenyan mcduffie easily won the special election to replace harry thomas, jr. unofficial returns show he received nearly 45% of the vote. delano hunter was a distant second with 20%. mcduffie is a 36-year-old attorney. he says ward 5 residents are ready for move past the harry thomas, junior junior scandal. >> one of the things i heard most over the last three months is about integrity. people want to send somebody down there who will be and honest independent broker. a lot of candidates talk about accountability and integrity. i've got a track record of doing those things. of a been a civil rights attorney for the u.s. department of justice where i've held state and local governments accountable. >> mcduffie will be sworn sworn in after the result are certified on may 30th. >>> d.c. leaders passed a budget that also lets bars stay open later. the city council is using the expanded alcohol sales to balance next year's $9.4 billion budget. the city had been facing a deficit of $170 million but a statement from mayor vince gray thanks the council for not adding a

council member harry thomas, jr. is going to prison for more than three years for stealing more than $350,000 in city funds. he was sentenced in federal court in the district and prosecutors wanted almost four years but his lawyers asked the judge to only give him 18 months. other federal prosecutors say it was a fair sentence. >> i think justice was served today. age powerful message was sent that, if you enagain in public corruption, that there will be consequences and that you will forfeit not only ill-gotten gains of your corrupt conduct but your freedom as well. >> federal investigator are continuing to look into other investigates of several d.c. leaders including mayor convince the gray and council chairman kwame brown. >>> a laurel doctor and developer linked to the corruption scream involving jack johnson is heading to prison. a judge sentenced mirza beg to 1 months behind bars. he pleaded guilty in 2007. on a federal wiretap, federal agents euro heard johnson telling his wife to tear up a $100,000 check. it

council member harry thomas, jr. will find out his punishment today for embezzling more than $300,000. the money was meant for d.c. youth programs. prosecutors asked the jump for up to four years in prison. lawyers for thomas believe a year and a half would be fair. sentencing hearing will begin at 9:30 in federal court. >>> montgomery county police are on the hunt for a man they believe is pretending to be a police officer. a woman said she was robbed on avondale road in silver spring yesterday morning by a man carrying a bag. the car he was driving did not have lights or a siren. he was honking and drove beside >>> hillary clinton and tim geithner have opened annual talks with china but the meeting is overshadowed by the case of the blind activist who now says he wants asylum in the united states. they are trying to talk to him about his change of heart. he hid in the american embassy after escaping from house arrest last week. >>> michelle bachmann is reportedly endorsing mitt romney. >> newt gingrich is step ago

mcduffie beat out 11 other candidates in the race to replace former councilmember harry thomas, jr. he received more than twice the number of votes than his closest competitor. the 36-year-old attorney is promising to be an independent and honest broker for ward 5 residents. here is more. >> i feel confident that ward 5 voters wanted awed new day. i feel confident that they wanted somebody to stand firm on integrity. and i feel confident that we had a campaign that was going to work harder than any other campaign in the race. >> mcduffie will be sworn in after results are certified may 30th. he will join us this morning in studio during our #:00 hour. i will speak with him about the election results and what is ahead on his watch in ward 5. >>> and the district council did not need to raise taxes in the new city budget. parking fees, more speed cameras and more red light cameras will help support the nearly $10 billion plan that will include funding for uninsured immigrant health care and for affordable housing programs. >>> d.c. police are going door to door today handing out flyer

captioning sponsored by cbs captioned >>> harry thomas jr.s sentenced today for using his office to steal more than $350,000. that cash was suppose to go to youth programs in the district. and bruce johnson explains for us that both thomas and his mother delivered moving speeches to the court before the sentence was handed down. >> are you sorry for what you have done? >> reporter: when an idea was wrong, i broke the law, that's what the packed federal courtroom heard harry thomas say before the judge sentenced him to 48

he won a special election this month and will place harry thomas -- replace harry thomas jr.e resigned earlier this year after admitting to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in government funds. mcduffie worked on public safety issues for mayor gray before resigning to run for office. >>> 4:34. the stage officially set for the presidential election in november. an easy win in texas gives mitt romney enough delegates to lock up the republican nomination. romney won nearly 70% of the vote and earned at least 88 delegates. according to msnbc, that puts his count at 1,174, 30 more delegates than he needed to clinch the nomination. in an interesting move, romney released his own birth certificate to prove he is eligible. this comes after another romney supporter, donald trump, reignited the birther debate by questioning president obama's birthplace. romney, though, and other republicans say they aren't buying into that controversy. >> i don't agree with all the people who support me. >> we believe this is an american-born, job-killing president. >> despite having the neede

harry thomas, jr.ced on the council, but the mayor hasn't put forth any nominees. fox 5's matt ackland shawns now one council member is done waiting. >> some believe if there had been more oversight when it comes to ethics enforcement, harry thomas' scam to steal hundreds of thousands of city dollars would have been caught much earlier. >> council member muriel bowser crafted legislation to put in place stricter ethical rules and a new board to enforce them but so far has not received a list of nominees from mayor gray. so tomorrow she'll introduce emergency legislation to give the power to the council to nominate one person without delay. >> i'm going to talk to my colleagues about how strongly they feel about moving forward with some urgency and being able to have one of the appointments. >> reporter: council chairman kwame brown is also concerned about the delay but seemed to give the mayor a little slack on timing. >> clearly you're always concerned things aren't moving as quickly as possible, but

now, ward 5 residents will be replacing harry thomas jr. resigned in january after admitting to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in city money. now there will actually be 12 candidates on the ballot here today. although one of the candidates, amanda broadnecks, dropped out of the race. her name will still be on the ballot. many hope that the selection of a new council member will restore confidence in the system and allow the council to move past that scandal. as i mentioned, polls about to open. they open at 7:00 a.m. they will stay open until 8:00 tonight. kind of a dreary, rainy day. we are seeing people starting to arrive at the polling place. and of course this is something we'll be following all day, we'll have updates as the day progresses. reporting live in northeast, megan mcgrath, news4. >> thank you. >>> tom has a last look at the forecast. >> you'll need an umbrella like megan for the next couple of hours, then sun breaking out. then maybe more showers and thundershowers this afternoon into this evening. then we'll get

i hope people come out. >> reporter: harry thomas junior resigned from the council in january after admitting he stole more than $350,000 in city money. the scandal saddened many  long-time ward 5 residents, who remember thomas' father he he sat on the council. >> i think it's one person doing wrong. but that person is going to pay a stiff penalty and his family has to view a person that's disgraced. i think that's a heavy penalty. the other thing, too, i think the system works, it was able to fret out this person that was doing corruption. >> reporter: and nearly 200 people have cast ballots at this particular location. the polls opened at 7:00. and they will stay open until 8:00 tonight. reporting live from ward 5, megan mcgrath, news4. >>> and right now, lanes on the inner loop of the beltway in maryland are back open after a crash involving an overturned car. this is video from just after the crash that happened near exit 13 in upper marlborough. at one point, all lanes were closed and traffic was only getting by on the shoulder. there's still delays in that area right now. >>> so we'll

council member harry thomas jr. spent a little more than three years behind bars. he stole hundreds of dollars from the city. still no word when that sentence will start. >> its principal free on bond but on administrative leave after she was arrested and charged with stealing funds. jenny georgina enriquez-de bermant used a school credit card to spend thousands of personal -- to buy thousands of personal items. >> 18 were speed cameras coming to montgomery county. if he would like to see where they are like credit, log onto our website at wjla.com. >> why michael jackson really is the king of pop. how much facebook shares could sell for when the social network goes public, we will have those stories and more. >> good morning. topping america's money -- good news on the jobs report. another indicator, the number of people applying for jobless benefits, declined again. the biggest tumble in nearly one year. when facebook goes public in two weeks, its stock is priced between $28.30 $5 per share but is valued at almost $100 billion. big banks to the -- typically buy a