MARYLAND NEWS

After new criminal referrals, Baltimore residents are seeing exactly why it's so important that the city inspector general have the tools she needs to conduct oversight. Source: Editorial, Baltimore Sun

The legislation comes after inspectors general in several justifications in Maryland have been denied access by various agencies, citing the Maryland Public Information Act...Montgomery County Inspector General Megan Davey Limarzi said. “Only recently, in early 2026, was I, for the first time, denied a record that we had requested for an investigation.” Source: https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/full-public-records-exemption-for-igs-is-unlikely-senate-president-ferguson-says

An unofficial deadline is quickly approaching for the legislation as well: Crossover Day, March 23. If a bill hasn’t made it out of one chamber by crossover day, it typically means the proposal is dead for the year. So far, the MPIA exemption legislation has yet to make it out of committee in either chamber. Source: https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/frustration-builds-among-igs-as-bills-to-give-them-mpia-exemption-stall-in-annapolis

The ”Public Information Act - Inspectors General - Access of Public Records” is Senate Bill 0911  cross filed with House Bill 1620

Maryland residents lose an estimated $1.7 billion a year to online scams, according to a new report that shows Americans as a whole are bineg tricked out of $119 billion a year-- far more than official estimates suggest. Source Patch.com

Also, see the report entitled The Scam Economy: The True Cost of Online Scams and Crimes in America. Source: consumerfed.org

 

Baltimore's inspector general said her office uncovered possible fraud within the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (MONSE). The IG said the possible fraud includes the exposure of juvenile information and is part of the ongoing investigation into a now-ended youth diversion pilot program. 

The report claims  fraudulent invoices were uncovered concerning the SideStep Pilot Program, which ended in 2024. According to the report,"the OIG has referred these fraudulent invoices to law enforcement." Source: WBALTV.com and Baltimore City IG's Public Synopsis of Case #25-0046-I: Criminal Referral of Fraudulent MONSE Inovices & Data Breach

Maryland’s Attorney General and 12 other state attorneys general, announced a lawsuit against OneMain Financial, Inc. and related entities (OneMain), alleging that OneMain, a non-prime installment lender, charged consumers nationwide hundreds of millions of dollars in unlawful hidden fees and interest.

With 26 branches operating in Maryland, OneMain advertises high-cost installment loans with supposedly “clear, upfront terms,” but it is accused of unlawfully packing those loans, without consumers’ consent or knowledge, with insurance policies and other add-on products which inflate the cost of the loans by hundreds or thousands of dollars. Source: oag.maryland.gov

Recent disputes in Baltimore City and Baltimore County have prompted debate about how independent those watchdog offices are and whether government officials should have power to influence or remove the very investigators tasked with scrutinizing them. The issue has taken on renewed urgency as Baltimore’s inspector general battles City Hall in court over access to records, while a Baltimore County watchdog stepped down after raising concerns about restrictions on her office.  Source: foxbaltimore.com

The Maryland State Senate approved Governor West Moore's choice to be the next State Inspector General for Education. According to her Linkedin profile, Natalia Medina Ahn  has been working as Deputy Legal Counsel for the Governor.  Source: https://foxbaltimore.com/news/project-baltimore/

Defendant also admits to fraudulently obtaining more than $990,000 in COVID-19 relief funds

A Glen Arm man, charged with bribery, admitted to paying at least $25,000 in bribes to a former Baltimore City Department of Finance employee. In exchange, the city employee extinguished various financial obligations the defendant owed to the City of Baltimore.  As a result of the criminal conduct, the City of Baltimore suffered financial losses of more than $145,000. Source: US Attorney, District of Maryland

A  43-year-old Russian national, administered the sale, distribution, and operation of Phobos ransomware. Phobos ransomware, through its affiliates, victimized more than 1,000 public and private entities in the United States and around the world, and extorted ransom payments worth more than $39 million. Authorities extradited the perpetrator from South Korea in November 2024, pled guilty in federal court to wire fraud conspiracy. US Attorney, District of Maryland

Source: baltimoresun.com