IN THE BIG HOUSE

D.C. Council Chairman Resigns

Kwame Brown charged with bank fraud.

Washington D.C. Council chairman Kwame Brown resigned on Wednesday night, hours after being charged with bank fraud by federal prosecutors. Brown is expected to appear in court for a plea hearing on Friday. Brown has been accused of falsifying records in applications to obtain a home loan and to buy a $50,000 boat, and is alleged to have inflated his income by “tens of thousands” of dollars in a two-year scheme. The charges have a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, but if convicted, Brown would face a much more lenient sentence under federal sentencing guidelines. Brown said he would comment on the charges on Thursday, and said he is “not worried one bit.” But the city was plunged into a leadership crisis on Thursday, as council members struggled to elect a new council chair.