Currie’s campaign treasurer accused of theft
An Anne Arundel County grand jury indicted the longtime campaign treasurer of state Sen. Ulysses Currie Friday on charges she stole more than $150,000 from his reelection campaign, filed false tax returns and lied on state campaign filings.The treasurer, Olivia Harris, had managed Currie’s campaign account since the Prince George’s County Democrat was elected to the Senate in 1995. Her attorney, Gerard Martin, said it is a “sad day” that “this wonderful woman has to face this at this point in her career.” He declined to comment on how she will plead.
Prosecutor Robert Rohrbaugh said he found “no indication” that Currie, who was indicted last week by a federal grand jury in a separate bribery case, was aware or played any part in the theft scheme. The senator replaced Harris last month, days after state prosecutors raided her Upper Marlboro.
Proseuctors say Harris, 64, stole the money over three years and filed fake campaign finance reports overstating the amount of money in the account to hide the theft.
“The money in those campaign accounts is to be used for the campaign,” said Rohrbaugh in a statement. “It is not some slush fund for the personal use of those entrusted with the money — including campaign treasurers or the candidates themselves.”
Currie filed his August campaign finance disclosure report about a week late and the report showed $187,000 was drained from the account with no explanation for how the money had been spent. At the time his attorney Gregg Bernstein, who is running for Baltimore City State’s Attorney, wrote in a letter to the Board of Elections that the missing money appeared to be “the result of the treasurer’s conduct.”
Rohrbaugh began examining Currie’s campaign account after The Sun reported that the Senator used his campaign account to make a $41,000 payment to the defense attorney representing him in the federal federal investigation. State officials can only use their campaign funds to pay legal bills connected to their re-election activities, not their official duties.
It is unclear how, or if, that investigation will proceed. Harris would have had to testify against Currie if charges were brought.
Currie faces no opponents in the primary or the general election but the theft of campaign funds adds to a series of problems facing the veteran Senator. He was recently indicted in a separate federal bribary case, causing him to relinquish his chairmanship of the powerful Budget and Taxation Committee.
Two former grocery store executives were also accused in the bribary scheme, with federal prosecutors alleging that the Senator sold his influence to the chain for $245,000 over six years. The chain, Shoppers Food Warehouse, is headquartered in his Prince George’s County district and his attorney Dale Kelberman has argued that Currie was properly employed as a consultant to the firm.
Former Shopper’s Vice President for Real Estate, Kevin Small not guilty to all charges in a federal court Friday, said Marcia Murphy, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s office. He was released under the supervision of pre-trial services. Currie is expected to plead not guilty on Sept. 17.
Shoppers was also implicated in the scheme, but has agreed to pay a $2.5 million fee to avoid prosecution. Represenatives for the firm are set to appear before a federal judge on Monday.
It is unclear how, or if, that investigation will proceed. Harris would have had to testify against Currie if charges were brought.
Currie faces no opponents in the primary or the general election but the theft of campaign funds adds to a series of problems facing the veteran Senator. He was recently indicted in a separate federal bribary case, causing him to relinquish his chairmanship of the powerful Budget and Taxation Committee.
Two former grocery store executives were also accused in the bribary scheme, with federal prosecutors alleging that the Senator sold his influence to the chain for $245,000 over six years. The chain, Shoppers Food Warehouse, is headquartered in his Prince George’s County district and his attorney Dale Kelberman has argued that Currie was properly employed as a consultant to the firm.
Former Shopper’s Vice President for Real Estate, Kevin Small not guilty to all charges in a federal court Friday, said Marcia Murphy, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s office. He was released under the supervision of pre-trial services. Currie is expected to plead not guilty on Sept. 17.
Shoppers was also implicated in the scheme, but has agreed to pay a $2.5 million fee to avoid prosecution. Represenatives for the firm are set to appear before a federal judge on Monday.
Comments
An indictment for misuse of campaign funds should shift the spotlight to Bob Ehrlich....
Last year, WBAL TV’s Jayne Miller reported that Bob Ehrlich and Michael Steele paid $417,000 of their donors’ money to a defunct commodities trading firm registered to Sandy Roberts, a friend of Mr. Steele who had never been in any kind of campaign services business. See the firm’s website as it appeared before and after Jayne Miller’s story broke and judge for yourself whether or not it is a legitimate enterprise.
The money was paid in 28 transactions in the final weeks of their 2006 campaign from four state and federal accounts Mr. Ehrlich and Mr. Steele controlled. Federal and state laws prohibit campaigns from concealing the true recipients of campaign funds by paying third party conduits, and of course campaigns can only use their donors’ money for legitimate campaign purposes.
If you think misuse of $417,000 that people donated to a campaign doesn’t matter, consider that Florida’s Republican party chairman was recently indicted for paying $120,0o0 of donors’ money from party coffers to a bogus company that allegedly didn’t do any work.
Mr. Ehrlich and Mr. Steele refused to answer Jayne Miller’s questions about the payments, and Mr. Ehrlich was not a candidate at the time, so the story died. Now that Mr. Ehrlich is running for re-election, and especially in light of the recent indictment, he and Mr. Steele need to fully explain why they paid $417,000 of their donors’ money to Allied Berton LLC, complete with invoices and receipts.
- Steve Lebowitz, Annapolis
Posted by: justdafacts | September 13, 2010 5:50 AM