MARYLAND NEWS

A former campaign aide to Congressman Johnny Olszewski Jr. acknowledged that the trips involved his campaign. Source: BaltimoreBanner.com

The fight continues to fund additional resources for Baltimore City’s watchdog, while funding for other staff members in agencies within City Hall appears to be flowing. Source: WBFF Baltimore via msn.com

 

The Baltimore County office that’s supposed to root out government waste, fraud and abuse once again finds itself facing questions about its political independence. That’s leading some to call for reform. Source: Baltimore Sun

This year, Inspector General Isabel Mercedes Cumming is asking for one new investigator, a $113,000 request in an overall $4.78 billion city budget. Mayor Brandon M. Scott rejected her request ... Source: Baltimore Sun.com

The panel will review and recommend an inspector general to County Executive Kathy Klausmeier, setting the stage for a potential confirmation battle in the County Council. Source: Baltimore Brew

Online social media accounts allegedly linking squatters to homes they do not have the authority to occupy are central to a dispute between a Baltimore County property owner, who is under contract to sell his house, and a family of four that abruptly began living in the home without permission. WJLA.com

Members of the conspiracy, including two former Prince Georges police officers, reported fictitious losses to insurers to obtain money or avoid paying off vehicles that were now worth less than the amount owed on them. The co-conspirators used their statuses as police officers to assist each other’s claims by writing false police reports. Then co-conspirators submitted fictitious police reports to insurers to validate the claim. The false police reports were intended to impede, obstruct, or influence subsequent investigations of the false insurance claims. Source: US Attorney, District of Maryland

Source: www.fox5dc.com

Charging documents allege two of the casino’s employees, VIP hosts, created fraudulent player rewards accounts, loaded discretionary comps onto player rewards cards, and passed the cards off to two players. The players would use the free slot play before cashing winnings. Source: capitalgazette.com

According to the Maryland Attorney General's office, scammers identify pet owners through lost pet advertisements on social media platforms. Using caller ID spoofing technology, they make it appear as though the call is coming from a legitimate shelter. The caller claims to have found the missing pet, often stating that the animal is injured and requires immediate medical attention. They then demand payment via money transfer applications such as Zelle, Cash App, Venmo, or PayPal, threatening that the pet will not receive care unless the payment is made promptly. In one reported incident, a pet owner was convinced to transfer $2,600 to the scammer before realizing it was a fraud. Source: Maryland Attorney General