A source familiar with the federal investigation into Mayor Vince Gray‘s 2010 mayoral campaign says that campaign chairwoman and closest friend Lorraine Green knew of improper payments made to fringe candidate Sulaimon Brown.

Court records expected to be released tomorrow after Howard Brooks pleads guilty to lying to the FBI will say that an unnamed individual knew of payments made to Brown by Brooks and acting campaign treasurer Thomas Gore using Gray’s 2010 campaign funds, according to the source. That unnamed person is Green, the source says.

Green has not responded to requests for comment from LL in the last few days, including one just before this post was published. Brown has said Brooks and Green paid him cash during the mayoral election so he would stay in the race and badmouth then-Mayor Adrian Fenty on the campaign trail. Green has denied Brown’s account, which she’s called “ridiculous.”

Her attorney did not immediately return a request for comment but told the Post earlier this week:  “My client has cooperated completely with the investigation, which I believe to be at an end so far as it involves her.”

It’s worth noting that Gore and Brooks appear to be getting in trouble more for covering up the payments to Brown, not so much for making them. Gore pleaded guilty yesterday to three misdemenors related to making the illegal payments to Brown, but pleaded guilty to a felony for  shredding a spiral notebook that had records of those payments. It’s unclear that merely knowing about the payments would even get someone in trouble with the authorities.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery