The Common Denominator reported last August that Tucker was being investigated by the D.C. Auditor’s Office for having obtained a credit card in the ANC’s name in January 1998 and charging more than $17,000 worth of merchandise on it. A copy of the April 1998 MBNA credit card bill showed charges at clothing stores, department stores, a hotel and a record store. Tucker also took out cash advances for nearly $4,500. He pleaded guilty to one charge of credit card fraud for these offenses.

In March 1998, Tucker sent a check to MBNA made out for $9,000. The check was drawn from ANC 1A’s checking account and Tucker forged the signature of the commission’s treasurer, Mack James, on the check. MBNA, however, was not able to cash the check because the ANC’s checking account didn’t have enough money to cover the check. Tucker pleaded guilty to one count of forgery for this incident.

Investigators also found that Tucker opened fraudulent commercial accounts in the commission’s name in November 1997 at Office Depot and Radio Shack. Over the next few months, Tucker bought over $4,000 worth of merchandise from Office Depot and over $8,000 of merchandise from Radio Shack using those accounts. None of those materials was ever used by or given to the commission, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Also, in September 1998, Tucker cashed two ANC checks at a Northwest Washington liquor store in his single-member district. Those checks, however, were invalid because the Internal Revenue Service had closed the ANC’s checking account and Tucker had forged the signature of the ANC’s treasurer on the check. Prosecutors entered this information into the record at Tucker’s plea hearing before U.S. District Court Judge Ellen S. Huvelle.

U.S. Attorney Wilma A. Lewis and D.C. Inspector General Charles Maddox commended the investigative work of Special Agent Ed Martin of the inspector general’s office. They also commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen of the public corruption/government fraud section, who handled the investigation and the plea hearing.

Tucker faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count. He is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 6.

Tucker is the second former ANC commissioner in a month to plead guilty to federal fraud charges.

Former ANC 5A treasurer Isaac Williams pleaded guilty May 3 to one count of interstate transportation of stolen securities for illegally diverting more than $8,800 of his ANC’s funds. Williams is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 5.

Copyright 2000, The Common Denominator