WASHINGTON (CBSDC/AP) — Thomas Gore, a former campaign aide and longtime associate to District of Columbia Mayor Vincent Gray, has pleaded guilty to funneling campaign funds to another mayoral candidate and shredding records of the transactions.

Gore admitted in federal court in Washington on Tuesday that he lied to the FBI about destroying evidence of payments to the candidate, Sulaimon Brown.

He also admitted that the payments were made so that Brown could stay in the race and continue making negative comments about then-mayor Adrian Fenty.

Brown has said since last spring that he was paid by Gray’s campaign and promised a job in the Gray administration. Brown was appointed to a government job in January 2011 and fired shortly after.

The allegations have cast a cloud over Gray since shortly after he took office.

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