COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A former CEO of a traffic-camera company pleaded guilty Friday to bribing officials in Columbus and Cincinnati to win or keep camera contracts.

Karen L. Finley of Cave Creek, Arizona admitted in federal court that through her former company, Redflex Traffic Systems, she funneled campaign contributions to officials in the two cities between 2005-13, according to a U.S. Justice Department news release.

Records from the U.S. District Court in Columbus show that from 2005-13, Finley made campaign contributions through a political consultant and meant for elected public officials in Columbus and Cincinnati. The contributions intended for Columbus officials were given to the Franklin County Democratic Party and Ohio Democratic Party, according to the plea agreement.

The campaign for Columbus City Council President Andrew Ginther, a Democrat who is now running for mayor, solicited a $20,000 contribution in late 2011, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

In a statement, Ginther said he "had absolutely no knowledge of these activities and did not take part in them."

Redflex gave the $20,000 to a consultant who wasn't named in the court records. The consultant then gave the money to the Ohio Democratic Party on or around Oct. 21, 2011, according to the plea agreement.

Campaign finance records kept by the Ohio secretary of state show a $20,000 contribution from lobbyist John Raphael on that date. Raphael has been identified in the past as a Redflex lobbyist. Raphael could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon.

On Nov. 1, 2011, the state party gave $21,000 to Ginther's city council campaign, records show. Ginther stated that while he was not a subject of the investigation, he complied with a request "to provide records that may help the investigation into Redflex."

He also wrote that he has asked Columbus City Attorney Rick Pfeiffer to conduct an investigation into any current contracts between the city and Redflex.

Chris Redfern, who was chairman of the state party at the time, said in a telephone interview Friday that he has not been contacted by federal authorities.

"To think that the party would do any illegal activity is absurd," Redfern said.

Redfern said the party would not have earmarked a specific contribution for a specific campaign - in this case Ginther's. It's not uncommon, though, for candidates or their representatives to lobby for a particular donation be spent a certain way.

However, such a request would not have made it to the chairman's desk, said Redfern, who stepped aside last year. The party's compliance director at the time, David Duffey, would have fielded that kind of inquiry, he added. Duffey died in December 2013.

Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Kirstin Alvanitakis didn't immediately answer questions about the party's involvement. "A few days ago the Ohio Democratic Party was asked to produce documents going back a number of years, and we are in the process of complying with that request," she said in an emailed statement.

In a statement, Redflex spokesman Tilden Katz stated the company has assisted the Justice Department in the case and provided the feds an internal investigation into the company's actions.

Katz stated that Finley left Redflex in early 2013 and noted the company was not charged in the proceeding.

"The government's actions are not a reflection of today's Redflex, they are a reflection on the company's past--a past that the company moved beyond over two years ago by taking specific, strong steps to improve compliance," he said in a statement.

Court records say that the contributions helped Redflex land the camera contract with Columbus in 2005 and extending it in 2009 and 2010. Other contributions were made to Cincinnati officials between 2005 and 2008 in an attempt to win a camera contract there, the plea agreement says.

The plea agreement doesn't name which Cincinnati officials received contributions from Redflex.

In 2005, a selection committee made up of city and police personnel recommended that Cincinnati pick Redflex to start a camera program. But in 2008, the Cincinnati City Council voted down a proposal to hire another company, American Traffic Solutions, to develop a camera program. City voters passed a referendum the same year to ban cameras altogether.

Finley pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, according to the Justice Department release. She could face a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine; her sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.

She is still facing federal charges that she organized a $2 million bribery scheme for Redflex to win and expand Chicago's red-light camera program, the largest in the nation.

Northeast Ohio Media Group politics writer Henry J. Gomez contributed to this story.