GREENVILLE, N.C. — McCrae Dowless, the man at the center of the District 9 election, accepted a plea deal in federal court in Greenville on Monday.
Channel 9 was there as Dowless pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government property and one count of social security fraud.
[ PAST COVERAGE: Man at center of District 9 election scandal indicted for social security fraud ]
According to court documents, Dowless worked for at least two candidates and their campaigns during the 2018 Midterm election. During that time, he reportedly got paid thousands of dollars for his work, yet failed to report his income to the Social Security Administration.
He was also facing a second count of social security fraud and one count of false statements, but those charges were dismissed.
Last year, he was indicted on several charges in connection with the District 9 election fraud investigation, including felony obstruction of justice, perjury and possession of absentee ballot.
He was arrested less than a week after the state elections board decided his work on behalf of Harris, starting with the 2018 primary, tainted the GOP candidate’s apparent victory in November.
A new election was ordered.
[ Who is McCrae Dowless, man who appears to be center of 9th District investigation? ]
Channel 9′s thorough investigation into the District led to the only time in documented history a federal election was overturned for a fraud investigation.
Dowless is scheduled to be sentenced on the federal charges in September. He has also agreed to pay the federal government up to $14,000 and could face up to 10 years in prison.
The Wake County District Attorney said now that the federal case has been resolved, a trial date for the state charges related to the election fraud will be set.
(WATCH: District 9 candidate Mark Harris wanted to hire McCrae Dowless, Washington Post reports)
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