MARYLAND NEWS

Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today issued an alert about the prevalence of fraudulent investment schemes proliferating across Meta platforms, including on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Scammers are increasingly using deceptive advertisements and “deepfake” technology to lure investors into high-stakes scams to defraud them of their savings. These scams include “pump and dump” scams, confidence scams, and fraudulent cryptocurrency schemes that take advantage of people to extract as much money as possible.

 The Maryland Attorney provides tips to protect investors from scams and urges them to scrutinize social media advertisements before investing. Most reputable broker-dealers and investment advisors do not post specific investment advice on social media platforms. The AG encourages anyone who may have been affected by these types of investment scams to report it to his Securities Division at securities@oag.maryland.gov and anyone harmed by a consumer scam to report it to his Consumer Protection Division at consumer@oag.maryland.gov.

Source: oag.maryland.gov

A Baltimore City Councilman proposed a charter amendment that would designate the city's inspector general as a co-custodian of agency records…The Association of Inspectors General (AIG) penned a letter on Monday supporting the effort to designate the inspector general as a custodian of records. Source: wbaltv.com

In part, the April 6 letter from the President of the Association of Inspectors General states: “For offices of inspectors general to administer independent and fair oversight in a manner worthy of the public’s trust, they must have direct access to government records that reveal how government agencies have transacted business or exercised authority on behalf of the taxpayers they represent. AIG supports the proposed effort to designate the Baltimore City OIG as a custodian of records and restore the office’s access to Baltimore City government records.” Source: Association of Inspectors General.

AIG has the experience and expertise in providing guidance to government stakeholders on these complex issues and, as a nonpartisan and nonprofit organization, stands ready upon request to provide counsel or recommendations related to the proposed charter amendment and to support Baltimore City Council members in this effort.” Source: inspectorsgeneral.org

A 47-year-old Upper Marlboro resident, admitted in U.S. District Court in Maryland that she steered an employee assistance program contract to a prime contractor and a subcontractor owned by a relative, according to court documents and federal prosecutors’ statements. Source: Baltimore Sun

More than $75 million in charges may be eligible for refunds.

According to the complaint, Lindsay touted deceptively low prices and then charged the vast majority of consumers hundreds or thousands of dollars more once they arrived at the dealership. Lindsay often claimed consumers could not get the advertised prices because they did not qualify for a litany of rebates included in the advertised price…The complaint also alleged Lindsay deceptively told consumers they had to finance through the dealership to get the advertised price…Under the order, the Maryland Attorney General’s Office will be sending notices to consumers who may be eligible for redress.Source: ftc.gov

Source: dcnewsnow.com via yahoo.com

Faced with a subpoena seeking documents about one of his programs, Baltimore’s mayor argues that the inspector general’s subpoena powers only apply to entities outside of city government. Source: Baltimore Brew

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland charged a treasurer who works for several political candidates and organizations, in connection with an embezzlement scheme. The 58-year-old Annapolis man is charged with wire fraud and money laundering. The indictment alleges that, in 2024, he stole approximately $100,000 from a Maryland State Delegate’s campaign accounts and embezzled an additional $100,000 from an Anne Arundel County community organization.

According to the US Attorney's Office, the treasurer emailed a bank about a refinancing loan for a yacht. He submitted false and fraudulent information about his assets to the bank. He also prepared, signed, and submitted a false and fraudulent campaign report to the Maryland Board of Elections. Source: U.S. Attorney, District of Maryland

Source: BaltimoreBrew.com

The Maryland Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed lawsuits brought by Baltimore City, Annapolis and Anne Arundel County against more than two dozen oil and gas giants, dealing a blow to local efforts to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for damages from climate change…Baltimore first sued 26 fossil fuel companies — including ExxonMobil, Chevron, Royal Dutch Shell and the American Petroleum Institute — in 2018, alleging that the industry had misled the public for decades about the causes of climate change. While jurisdictions argued they filed suits focused on the firms’ deceptive marketing practices about climate change, the state Supreme Court disagreed, determining that the local governments were actually trying to regulate interstate emissions, which rests solely with the federal government, under the federal Clean Air Act. Source: thebanner.com and marylandmatters.org 

A proposal meant to strengthen oversight for Maryland’s inspectors general has stalled in Annapolis, even as a separate measure expanding access to sensitive juvenile records moves quickly toward approval...The bill would guarantee Maryland’s inspectors general access to public documents... "I can’t do the job when I’m given documents that look like this,” Cumming said while pointing to heavily redacted public documents...Despite bipartisan support, House Bill 1620 stalled in the Rules Committee, where members have not yet voted on the measure. WBFF via msn.com