INDICTED EX-LAWMAKER FINGERS SENATOR PETERS IN COURT DOCUMENT

State Sen. Doug Peters

By Josh Kurtz

Former state Del. Michael Vaughn (D), indicted earlier this year in the unfolding Prince George’s County liquor board scandal, has suggested in a recent court filing that another Prince George’s lawmaker, state Sen. Douglas Peters (D), is also a target of federal investigators.

In a motion filed in late June to suppress certain electronic evidence that prosecutors are using in their case against Vaughn, his lawyers referenced a telephone number used by Peters that law enforcement authorities were monitoring, and described the senator as a “target” in the investigation.

Peters has never been formally named by prosecutors in any charging document.

The quick reference to Peters and his phone number is the only time the senator is mentioned in Vaughn’s 10-page motion to suppress some of the evidence that the federal government collected against him.

Bruce Marcus, an attorney for Peters, said he was unaware of Vaughn’s court filing and unconcerned that other attorneys are describing his client as a target. He said he’d be more worried if the government was identifying Peters as a target.

“The notion of assignment status to people is one of the things that’s uniquely within the province of the United States government,” he said. “…If you told me the government wrote it down, I’d probably have a different take on it. It’ll get more of my attention if it says it was signed by the United States of America.”

Asked if there was any reason to believe Peters is a target of federal investigators or could have been at any time, Marcus replied, “We don’t get into discussing cases.”

Vaughn’s lawyers who filed the court document, William Purpura and Teresa Whalen, did not respond to phone messages.

Elizabeth Morse, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Maryland, did not respond to phone messages left at her office over the past several days.

Vaughn was indicted by a federal grand jury in March on charges that he had received more than $10,000 in cash payments from liquor store owners in exchange for favorable legislation in Annapolis.

Vaughn had resigned from the House of Delegates in January, citing health reasons. But his resignation came immediately after two liquor store owners, Prince George’s County’s chief liquor board inspector and a member of the county liquor commission were arrested.

The county liquor scandal also involved former Del. Will Campos (D), who resigned abruptly in 2015 and pleaded guilty in January to bribery and conspiracy in a public corruption case involving the liquor industry.

In April, Young Jung Paig, who owned the Central Avenue Restaurant and Liquor Store in Seat Pleasant, pleaded guilty to paying bribes to Vaughn and Campos in exchange for their votes on state legislation that loosened Sunday liquor sales in Prince George’s County.

As the liquor scandal unfolded, political professionals in Annapolis and Upper Marlboro have wondered whether other Prince George’s politicians would become ensnared. But no elected officials other than Vaughn and Campos have been publicly named.

In their court filing in late June, Vaughn’s attorneys argue that the FBI engaged in electronic surveillance of their client based on affidavits that contained insufficient probable cause “and failed to utilize electronic eavesdropping as a last resort after the exhaustion of normal investigative procedures.”

The lawyers, Purpura and Whalen, argue that a federal judge should “suppress any and all wire communications and evidence derived and seized from illegally obtained communications.”

The U.S. attorney’s office has yet to file a response to Vaughn’s motion.

Via Maryland Matters

Read more>>> Maryland delegate Dereck E. Davis must resign over corruption in the county schools.

Former Maryland State Del. Michael Vaughn (D-Prince George’s)

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Maryland delegate Dereck E. Davis must resign over corruption in the county schools.

Delegate Dereck E. Davis (Seen here) sparked widespread controversy after he engaged in a  double-dealing in which his wife and close family friends are benefiting unjustly in Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) at the expense of the county children. 

Upper Marlboro —A Maryland delegate is facing mounting pressure to resign after unleashing kleptocracy in Prince George’s (PG) County for some time now.  Prince George’s County’s Reform Sasscer Movement and PG Parents are calling for Maryland Delegate Dereck. E. Davis, who is the Chairman for Economic Matters Committee in Maryland, to resign with immediate effect from the Maryland General Assembly and from his Prince George’s County government position.  Prince George’s County has been abuzz with allegations that officials within the Maryland delegation have engaged in racketeering, money laundering, and other criminal activities—including scheming to enrich themselves at the expense of the children of the county and the wider population.

Troubles for Democrat Dereck E. Davis began after reports surfaced that he had used the new Maryland law HB1107 as a bargaining chip to reward himself and his wife as part of a cartel involving state judges and other county employees connected to them. The county’s public corruption with ties to the kleptocracy is a looting machine which has become a routine fiasco for the county over the years.

More than a dozen corruption scandals have erupted in recent weeks and have shown how the questionable leadership has been moving illicit funds elsewhere, as the Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) and other agencies in Maryland suffer. The scale of the political elites’ involvement in similar situations such as this was laid starkly clear in the “Panama Papers,” a leak revealing many of the clients of the law firm Mossack Fonseca. These very partial revelations implicated 140 politicians from 50 countries as exploiters of offshore finance, mainly as a means to sequester illicit funds. There is no difference in what is occurring under the current regime of our local Prince George’s County government than elsewhere around the world.

Challenges to democracy vary widely across many countries around the world, as does the Reform Sasscer Movement approach. In developed countries such as the United States, there exists struggling democratic counties such as Prince George’s. The Reform Sasscer Movement projects target the institutional weaknesses that underlie political instability, such as corruption, governance, rule of law, and opaque policy-making processes.

The institutional dynamics that underlie the corrupt politics, economy, and society of Prince George’s county must change if democratic norms and practices are to take root in the county. Based on our own experiences, these challenges are numerous and complex, and no single initiative will solve them all. Corruption, however, is paramount among these challenges. In Prince George’s County, public perceptions and allegations of corruption undermine public faith in the institutions of democracy to such an extent that democratically-elected local government has lost legitimacy in the eyes of competing segments of the state of Maryland.  PG Parents’ principle strategic focus, and the best way to address PG County democratic deficiencies within the PGCPS system, is asking Delegate Dereck E. Davis to resign his position due to corruption in the Maryland legislature and the county government.

A PG county blogger on Facebook called the incident “reprehensible,” and said he is demanding for Delegate Dereck E. Davis to resign his positions due to corruption in the county and in the Maryland legislature.

Delegate Dereck E. Davis, who sparked widespread controversy after he engaged in double-dealing, colluding with his wife and close family friends, is benefiting unjustly at the expense of the children of PGCPS and must be banished. At the same time last year, he introduced a bill to ban counties and cities from increasing minimum wage in their individual jurisdictions. This bill was a proposal that pitted progressive Democrats, who have embraced a national push for a $15 hourly wage, against the party’s center- and right-leaning members. However, this is not why we are asking him to resign, his conflict of interest goes deeper than that. 

The recent events began with a Facebook post after a meeting with PG County delegation at Largo in which Prince George’s County School CEO Kevin Maxwell was questioned by the Prince George’s Delegation Education Committee on a series of issues such as graduation rates, grade changes, and teacher sexual assault allegations. During the meeting,  Del. Dereck Davis said he has tried to stay out of it since his wife is one of Maxwell’s top deputies. However, he could not resist commenting that day, calling the controversies brought forth by BOE members a “minstrel show.” With overwhelming evidence of a kleptocracy curse, The Maryland Democratic Party should demand his immediate resignation.

The Maryland Democratic Party seems like an unstoppable train rattling downhill in Maryland at break-neck speed with Del. Davis as part of it. If there was ever an example of when the more than 200-year-old party formed in 1792 needed to apply the brakes it is here. But the people are likely to punish these leaders in 2018 and again in 2020 if something is not done.

Del. Dereck Davis use of horrific, discriminatory activities, engagement in racketeering, and selfish interests towards members of the [PGCPS] Board of Education and others in Maryland—who disagree with him and his wife—is disgusting, unacceptable, and has no place in our democracy or our society.

The current disrespect of Board members and county staff who oppose county leadership involved in kleptocracy locally should not be tolerated.

The recent mistreatment of Mr. Edward Burroughs III (Board member), who was not allowed to address a graduating class in his district, sparked nationwide outrage. Critics accused the police of stifling constitutionally guaranteed freedoms. Mrs. Davis, who was at the center of these violations after making students cry, has never apologized, despite a petition asking her to do so. Mrs. Davis has followed the beckoning of her superiors–including her husband.

Del. Dereck Davis has been conspiring with the Maryland Attorney General, Brian Frosh, who did not disclose to the Maryland General Assembly that his office has been violating federal laws willfully in Maryland for many years. The office has been colluding with the corrupt state and union officials operating in Maryland to the detriment of many citizens. The office is also involved in tortious interference of lawyers hired by employees in conspiracy with the Maryland State Education Association (MSEA), ACE-AFSCME Local 2250, AFSCME International and other officials in the Maryland Democratic party.

Long before the four Board members wrote to the Maryland governor concerning widespread fraud in PG county, this blog covered the same issues on February 16, 2017 concerning work of fiction and misrepresentation by the county schools after an “all-time high graduation rates” article in the local newspaper. 

Ladies and gentlemen, this is an unprecedented event in which we demand the resignation of Del. Dereck Davis. Don’t take it lightly.

More to come.

 

Mrs. Dereck Davis is a top deputy Superintendent in PGCPS.

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It has been a long week. Like others, it had its own challenges. But our God is always faithful that he allowed us to go through the storms. Next week, We will have a special blog post dealing with similar issues currently in the courts and how we can tackle issues heads on with your support to face the future in a united way.  Be blessed and stay involved.

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Two PGCPS teens & an outsider arrested in fatal shooting of 17-year-old in Laurel, Md.

LAUREL, Md. – Two teens associated with Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) and an outside young woman based in Severn Maryland seen above, have been arrested and face charges in connection with a deadly shooting of a 17-year-old in Prince George’s County.

Kalik Johnson, 18, of Laurel; Kylah Nettleton, 18, of Severn; and Darius Tarik Johnson, 17, of Upper Marlboro, have been charged with first- and second-degree murder, according to Prince George’s County police.

The shooting happened near Contee Road and Larchdale Road in Laurel at about 8:25 p.m. on July 18. Kylah Nettleton (a Severn woman) told police she saw the two men she was with last week get into a car with a 17-year-old near Laurel, heard gunshots and then saw them emerge holding guns before driving them away, investigators wrote in charging documents.

Authorities said 17-year-old Dustin Khoury of Sparrows Point, Maryland was killed in the shooting. “During that transaction, the suspects shot the victim,” police said in a statement.

Dustin Khoury, 17, died after being found shot in a car in Prince George’s County. The 17-year-old was shot while sitting behind the wheel of his Buick LeSabre, then drove the car a short distance before going unconscious near Larchdale Rd. and Contee Rd. at about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. A passenger in the car was not hurt. Khoury died at the scene.

Khoury was a rising senior at Meade High School in Severn and had aspirations to go to college, according to his father Michael Khoury, who once served as a police officer in Hyattsville.

“He was very kind and he was very motivated,” Khoury said. “He worked two jobs.”

“We’re sad and we’re devastated,” Khoury added. According WUSA 9 which broke the story.  “I saw him Monday night. We went out to dinner. I didn’t know it was going to be the last time I had supper with him. Tuesday, I get a knock at the door and they say ‘your son’s dead. Somebody killed your son.'”

Police said 18-year-old Kalik Johnson (left), 18-year-old Kylah Nettleton (center), and 17-year-old Darius Tarik Johnson (right) have been charged in the shooting death of 17-year-old Dustin Khoury that happened on Contee Road in Laurel on July 18.

Police said the suspects and victim had agreed to meet to conduct an “illegal transaction” before the shooting took place.

Johnson is being charged as an adult, and all three teens are being held without the possibility of bail, police said. There have been a rising number of crimes involving PGCPS students with some crimes not being reported in the media. More needs to be done to resolve a rising number of social conflicts in the county before crimes occur.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact police at 301-772-4925

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Prince George’s County Public Schools CEO meets with Md. lawmakers

Prince George’s County Public Schools CEO Dr. Kevin Maxwell met with concerned state lawmakers to talk about a number of troubling issues.

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. – Prince George’s County Public Schools has been dealing with a number of troubling allegations, many of which have been reported by FOX 5. On Thursday, Prince George’s County Public Schools CEO Dr. Kevin Maxwell met with concerned state lawmakers to talk about a number of troubling issues.

At times, it was a contentious meeting between Maxwell and the Prince George’s County members of the Maryland House of Delegates.

 The latest allegations claim there has been fraud and corruption in the awarding of grades and diplomas to inflate graduation rates among the county’s public high schools. This has led the Maryland State Board of Education to launch an investigation into the claims.

“FOX 5 and the Washington Post have the resources to do their own investigation,” said Del. Dereck Davis. “They don’t need us to provide them will filler.”

“I can assure you that there is no systemic attempt to inflate graduation rates or as the letter to the governor said – systemic corruption at the highest levels of the organization,” Maxwell said. “It does not exist.”

These state lawmakers want to know what the school system is doing to correct the unintended fallout from policies established by a student safety task force. Over 800 teachers and staffers have been placed on leave this school year while being investigated for alleged abuse and misconduct.

“We must remain vigilant to provide a safe learning environment for children while regaining our balance,” said Maxwell.

• School employees on leave paid nearly $10M

He said the ship is being righted.

“We had a whole summer of training session with principals and senior leaders this year on a book called about building trust,  rebuilding trust,” he told reporters.

Del. Jay Walker was asked whether he supports Dr. Maxwell.

“Just to give you an honest answer, I’m more concerned now about the leadership we have in the school system now,” Walker said.

“I have dedicated my entire career of almost 40 years to providing children with an education that will help lift them out of poverty into the middle class and higher,” Dr. Maxwell told the state delegates during the meeting.

Officials said they are looking forward to regularly scheduled meetings among lawmakers and education executives starting Friday to help keep these lines of communication open.

Via Fox5DC

Prince George’s County School CEO Kevin Maxwell was questioned by the Prince George’s Delegation Education Committee on a series of issues such as graduation rates, grade changes and teacher sexual assault allegations.

According to Washington Post reporter, Del. Dereck Davis said he has tried to stay out of it since his wife is one of Maxwell’s top deputies but today, he couldn’t resist.
He called the controversies brought forth by BOE members a “minstrel show”. Despite overwhelming evidence of Kleptocracy curse. 

Read more >>>> BOE political cronyism-nepotism refresher -via P-G Politics.

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In resignation letter, former PGCPS board member calls board ‘dysfunctional’

Dr. Beverly Anderson

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, Md. – A former Prince George’s County School Board member calls the board “dysfunctional, “ and cites lack of a “coherent educational plan” and “thoughtful budget” in her resignation letter.

Beverly Anderson was appointed by County Executive Rushern Baker in 2013 and wrote her resignation letter to him in June. FOX 5 obtained the letter through an open records request.

Anderson resigned soon after four board members called for a state investigation into allegations of grade fixing and other fraud to boost the graduation rate. In response, nine other board members condemned their colleagues calling the claims “appalling.” Anderson was the only board member who did not publicly take a side.

In her resignation letter, she writes to Baker:  “I have communicated my concerns to your office on several occasions about the School System’s lack of a coherent educational plan replete with performance measures to move all of our children forward, particularly low performing students; the lack of a thoughtful budget to support the educational needs of all of our children, particularly low performing students; the lack of independence of board members to make decisions that are in the best interest of all of our children, and the inability of our system to see that several of the deficiencies of immigrant students are also shared by some non-immigrant students who need and deserve equitable educational support. I did my best in addressing these issues, but in some cases, my best was not good enough. The barriers were too hard to penetrate.”

Anderson went on to say that she has been an ardent supporter of Baker, who’s now running as a Democratic candidate for Maryland governor, for nearly 20 years.

“We have a dysfunctional board possibly because too many of the members are compromised or have conflicts of interest; an angry student body because we have not figured out how to incorporate some of their good ideas into our practices; unhappy parents because we do not solve in an efficient manner classroom or administrative problems impacting their children; and an apathetic teaching force. This scenario must change!”

Anderson declined an interview, but told FOX 5 by phone that she would consider returning to the school board when the climate changes. As for the allegations of fraud to boost the graduation rate, she said she believes the truth will come out.

• PGCPS graduation rate ‘fraudulently’ elevated?

“In my mind, sometimes it takes the storm before the calm,” Anderson said in a farewell speech at her final board meeting in June. “And once we get that calm, we can start moving in the direction that all students are given a quality education.”

FOX 5 asked County Executive Baker his response to Anderson’s letter. He had nothing but praise for her in an emailed statement.

“I would like to thank Dr. Beverly Anderson for her service and commitment to the Prince George’s County Board of Education,” Baker said.   “I appointed her to the Board of Education because she possessed the expertise we needed to change the trajectory of our school system.  Since her appointment in 2013, Dr. Anderson has been a strong voice for all students and she consistently fought to ensure that the needs of low income students were met.  In addition, she has been an advocated for programs and services that would help to improve the performance of our students so that they are college and career ready.  During her tenure, graduation rates have improved, fewer young people are dropping out of school after 9th grade, dual enrollment and world language offerings have increased, and full day pre-kindergarten has expanded throughout the County.  Dr. Anderson cares deeply about our children and her passion for educational excellence is matched by few.  There is no doubt that our school system has improved as a result of her work.”

The Maryland State Department of Education is working to secure a company to conduct the investigation into the fraud claims. A spokesperson said the public bid went out last week.

The Maryland State Board of Education voted unanimously to launch a third-party investigation into claims of grade fixing and other fraud after FOX 5 broke the story that teachers and staff members report being under tremendous pressure to increase the high school graduation rate. Some say they have personally been told make sure grades are changed for failing students.

Schools CEO Dr. Kevin Maxwell continues to deny the allegations, calling them false and politically motivated.

Dr. Beverly Anderson’s resignation letter (app users: Click here to read)

View this document on Scribd

via FOX5DC

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Donna Edwards talks local governance in Prince George’s

Former congresswoman Donna F. Edwards

For someone who has not publicly announced her political plans, former congresswoman Donna F. Edwards (D-Md.) sure sounded like a candidate for Prince George’s county executive Wednesday morning.

Speaking to a friendly crowd at a union hall in Landover, Edwards touched on all the flash points that are emerging as issues for voters in the 2018 race, including the embattled school system, economic development and responsive governance.

She described being stopped recently at a pharmacy by a woman who said changes to trash pickup schedules left her with an overflowing garbage can for days after a family cookout.

“It seems like a really tiny thing,” Edwards said. “But when elected leadership doesn’t understand how people live their lives and provide the basic kinds of services, the little things can start to get on your nerves. If she . . . believes that I can do something about picking up her trash, then she will trust me to do the stuff that’s really hard.”

Upon seeing a reporter in the crowd, Edwards told her audience that she would not have anything to say Wednesday about her political future. Through an aide, she declined requests for an interview.

Former congresswoman Donna F. Edwards speaks to labor activists on July 19 at the headquarters of UFCW Local 400 in Landover. (Astrid Riecken/For The Washington Post)

But a friend, former Montgomery County Council member Valerie Ervin, said Edwards is considering a run for county executive but is weighing polling and other data before making her decision.

A group of activists in Prince George’s has been urging Edwards to enter the race since late April.

If she runs, Edwards — who lost a bitter U.S. Senate primary race last year to fellow congressman Chris Van Hollen — would be competing in the Democratic primary against state Sen. C. Anthony Muse, a political ally. County State’s Attorney Angela Alsobrooks (D) is also expected to announce her candidacy in the coming weeks. County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D), who is term-limited, is running for governor.

“We want to be a part of whatever decision [Edwards] makes,” said Dyana Forester, political director for the United Food and Commercial Workers union, which hosted Wednesday morning’s event at the Local 400 headquarters. “If Donna does run for county executive, we will definitely support her.”

Edwards spent more than 40 minutes speaking to the audience of about 50 political, labor and community activists about demanding more from developers who want to build on county-owned land, “standing up” to President Trump on health care, creating a county-level “sanctuary” for undocumented immigrants and providing more economic opportunities for people who have been released from prison.

“Here in this county of such great opportunity and great capacity . . . we have to be about having elected leaders who want to realize that capacity, who understand the promise of what we are and the challenges that we face, and are willing to take them on,” Edwards said. “So I’ve been thinking about some of those things, and what I might be able to contribute.”

Edwards disclosed in a recent op-ed in The Washington Post that she has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She said Wednesday that it was difficult to write so publicly about her situation but that she wanted to personalize the national debate over health-care coverage in hopes of having an impact.

“We need a system that’s affordable,” Edwards said. “I’m not the only one out there with a preexisting condition.”

via Washington post

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Time for the Maryland state prosecutor to get involved?

Senate President Mike Miller. MarylandReporter.com photo

By Michael Collins

For MarylandReporter.com

Two intertwined issues exploded last week in what some consider a constitutional crisis, but this dispute is a bit overblown.

The showdown was initially between Gov. Larry Hogan and the legislature over whether or not Dennis Schrader could be paid after being appointed acting secretary of health.  The plot thickened, however, when it was revealed that Schrader’s nomination was pulled before a vote because Senate President Mike Miller allegedly attempted to secure an unethical—possibly illegal—quid pro quo as the cost of confirmation.

The deal

Gov. Hogan nominated Schrader as health secretary during the legislative session.  Miller repeatedly said that Schrader would be confirmed.  But after the independent Maryland Health Care Commission (MHCC) approved Anne Arundel Medical Center’s (AAMC) request to perform cardiac surgery, things changed.

Miller considers AAMC’s cardiac surgery program a threat to the mega-facility being built in Prince George’s County to replace the decrepit Prince George’s Hospital Center.  Miller still represents part of Prince George’s though he no longer lives there.

Schrader alleged that Miller promised him Senate confirmation on the condition that he overturns the decision of the independent MHCC to grant AAMC a certificate of need for cardiac surgery.

This is a continuation of an effort Miller began in public last summer, when he wrote to Prince George’s County elected officials ordering them to band together to stop AAMC’s application.  He doubled-down last January when he held a press conference with Prince George’s officials at the State House to reiterate his call to quash AAMC’s application, and threatened to keep the legislature in session until he got his way.

The Maryland Health Care Commission was not intimidated and approved AAMC’s application, thus, Miller allegedly tried to leverage Schrader’s confirmation to undo their decision.

Constitutional issue

When Hogan withdrew Schrader’s nomination before a vote, Democrats anticipated that Schrader would be reappointed after the legislative session closed. They added a rider to the budget bill banning him from being paid if appointed in an acting capacity. The same applied to Planning Secretary Wendi Peters.

Hogan claims that the legislature’s rider is illegal, and Comptroller Peter Franchot’s office said it would pay Schrader.  Democratic Attorney General Brian Frosh said paying Schrader is illegal.  Treasurer Nancy Kopp, whose signature also goes on the checks and is elected by the legislature, agreed and stopped the pay.

There are valid arguments to be made on both sides of the pay issue.  But things get sticky when the quid pro quo enters the picture.  Nobody questions the Senate’s constitutional “advise and consent” role.  But should the public accept an “extort and consent” standard?

Impartiality compromised?

Hogan’s office thinks that Frosh is not the final word on the pay matter, preferring the advice of his own counsel.  While Frosh is no doubt sincere in his legal opinion, he has given reason to doubt his impartiality.

While Frosh is more liberal than Miller, it was Miller who made him chair of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee.  Frosh owes a lot to Miller.

Frosh personally represented Miller during a recent deposition as part of a lawsuit against the 2012 redistricting.  While it was appropriate for his office to participate, it was unusual for the attorney general to serve as personal counsel, especially when two assistant attorneys general were on hand.

More recently, a three-judge panel in Baltimore ruled last week there is enough evidence to proceed to trial with the suit against the 2012 Congressional Districts, with one judge referring to the partisan redistricting as, “nefarious activities.”

Also last session, Frosh requested and received legislative authority—over Hogan’s veto—to sue President Trump without the governor’s approval.  Frosh has used that authority with gusto leading Republicans in the legislature to recently accuse him of partisan grandstanding on the taxpayer’s dime and warn him to knock it off.

Between his overt partisanship and his loyalty to Miller, it is easy to see how critics can question Frosh’s impartiality on Schrader’s pay or any other dispute between the governor and legislature.  Both are technically Frosh’s clients.

Impartial investigator

All this obscures the greater question: Did Senate President Miller engage in unethical or illegal activity when he allegedly tried to get Hogan and Schrader to interfere with the decisions of the statutorily independent MHCC?

Hogan’s communications director, Doug Mayer, thinks so, but hastened to add that the administration was not planning to file ethics charges against Miller.  Still, rumors abound that the administration is weighing their options.

The Office of the State Prosecutor may initiate investigations independently to examine violations of state election and ethics laws, as well as misconduct by public officials, bribery, extortion, perjury, etc.

Legitimate questions have been raised about Miller’s alleged quid pro quo with Schrader, as well as his veracity under oath in the federal redistricting case, both of which could fall within the scope of the State Prosecutor.

Sadly, the public has been so inured by the self-dealing and back scratching in Annapolis that allegations of an unethical quid pro quo are utterly unremarkable.  Call it the banality of corruption.

The corrosive nature of “politics as usual” in Annapolis is just another shovelful deepening the cynicism of the public.

While the state Court of Appeals ultimately will decide the constitutionality of the pay issue, it is time for the state prosecutor to open an investigation to determine if the quid pro quo was in violation of ethics laws.  If not the state prosecutor, then who?

Michael Collins can be reached at michaelcollins.capital@gmail.com

BACKGROUND AND RELATED STORIES

Hogan official accuses Maryland Senate president of ‘unethical’ behavior

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-miller-governor-20170713-story.html

Hogan administration doesn’t plan to file ethics charges against Miller

http://www.capitalgazette.com/news/government/bs-md-mayer-miller-allegations-20170714-story.html

Hogan’s Constitutional Crisis

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bs-ed-0711-hogan-appointments-20170710-story.html

Culture of Corruption

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bal-md.culture21oct21-story.html

State should approve AAMC for cardiac care

http://www.capitalgazette.com/opinion/columns/ph-ac-ce-column-collins-0816-20160816-story.html

Miller to Prince George’s officials: Band together to push for hospital

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/miller-to-prince-georges-officials-band-together-to-push-for-hospital/2016/08/23/f171b08a-6956-11e6-8225-fbb8a6fc65bc_story.html?utm_term=.1bf86ca81d5d

Letter from Mike Miller to Prince George’s County officials

http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/documents/local/letter-from-thomas-v-mike-miller/2132/

Politics as usual on Prince George’s County hospital

http://marylandreporter.com/2017/01/30/collins-politics-as-usual-on-prince-georges-county-hospital/

GOP lawmakers: attorney general is ‘grandstanding’ with Trump lawsuit

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-gop-frosh-trump-suits-20170710-story.html

The depositions of Maryland’s three highest official make interesting reading, though the format is trying. The Washington Post has put the depositions on Document Cloud.

Gov. Martin O’Malley:

http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/documents/local/redistricting-deposition-of-former-maryland-governor-martin-omalley/2458/

Senate President Mike Miller

http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/documents/local/redistricting-deposition-of-maryland-senate-president-mike-miller/2459/

House Speaker Michael Busch:

http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/documents/local/redistricting-deposition-of-maryland-house-speaker-mike-busch/2460/

Senate President Mike Miller.

Brian Frosh requested and received legislative authority—over Hogan’s veto—to sue President Trump without the governor’s approval.  Frosh has used that authority with gusto leading Republicans in the legislature to recently accuse him of partisan grandstanding on the taxpayer’s dime and warn him to knock it off. Mr. Frosh Frosh personally represented Miller during a recent deposition as part of a lawsuit against the 2012 redistricting.  While it was appropriate for his office to participate, it was unusual for the attorney general to serve as personal counsel, especially when two assistant attorneys general were on hand.

While Brian Frosh (left) is more liberal than Miller, it was Miller who made him chair of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee.  Frosh owes a lot to Miller. Brian Frosh is currently involved in tortious interference with the courts in Maryland which is another ongoing issue.

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Prince George’s School Board Member Resigns, Citing Disfunction

A member of the Prince George’s County school board — who recently came to the defense of a fellow board member who was banned from participating in a graduation by police — has resigned from the county school board. Dr. Beverly Johnson resigned last month, alleging dysfunction within the board and the whole school system. News4 obtained her resignation letter through a public information request. The district thanked her for her work, Tracee Wilkins reports, though she said in her letter that “We have not taken the masses as far as we could or should.”

Source: Prince George’s School Board Member Resigns, Citing Disfunction | NBC4 Washington http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Prince-George_s-School-Board-Member-Resigns-Citing-Disf_Washington-DC-434576553.html#ixzz4mr5EGHrF

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PGCPS Board member Beverly Anderson resigned.

Dr. Beverly Anderson Former PGCPS Board of Education Member

In a letter released to the news media, It’s now clear that PGCPS Board member Beverly Anderson resigned her seat in protest after many months consulting widely including with the Prince George’s county Executive Rushern Baker III. Based on the letter attached below, the majority of Board members who stand in solidarity are the questionable ones and part of the systemic corruption, which is currently in progress at Upper Marlboro.

Dr. Anderson was a good leader. It is very sad for many of us who advocate for a better school system to see that she resigned her seat in protest. After reviewing the letter, her criticisms of the school board are legit and are issue based.

Let us hope the leadership at the Federal, State and County levels are listening to her concerns. We hope with this letter and many others we have shared in this blog is not going to be business as usual for the county.

See her letter here:

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SYSTEMIC CORRUPTION

Systemic corruption impedes market development, drives away investment, and erodes the rule of law. Prevalent corruption can render a populace susceptible to demagogic political appeals, and de-legitimizes political leadership. In economic terms, corruption diverts investments and distorts markets – with the poor bearing the brunt of the negative economic impact. Consequently, improving governance and eliminating corrupt practices are the keys to improving business performance, establishing rule of law, and ensuring that democracy delivers for citizens.

We must pressure State and local law makers to pass and enforce laws which protect whistle blowers who call out foul play and corruption.

• Read more >>>>Unmasking Prince George’s County Corruption and other violations Part II
• Read more >>>> Unmasking Prince George’s County Corruption and other violations Part III

Dr. Beverly Anderson flagged by our County Executive Mr. Rushern L. Baker III during the initial swearing in ceremony as a board member in Upper Marlboro.

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Former PGCPS teacher’s aide charged with child sexual abuse reverses claims

A child pornography case that shocked the Prince George’s County school system will be allowed to proceed. (WTOP/Dave Dildine)

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. — A child pornography case that shocked the Prince George’s County school system will be allowed to proceed after potential legal problems arose when the defendant wrote a troubling letter to the court, claiming his rights had been violated.

Deonte Carraway, who is facing 270 charges related to producing child pornography, penned a letter in June saying he has not been receiving adequate legal representation.

But in a Prince George’s County courtroom Thursday, Carraway went back on that claim, telling Judge Beverley Woodard that he is satisfied with his attorney.

Carraway also said he now remembers signing a waiver related to a state law that requires trial proceedings to begin within 180 days of when charges are filed. Initially, in his letter to the court, Carraway claimed he never signed that document.

After clearing up the matter, Judge Beverly Woodard dismissed Carraway and set his next court date for late September.

In the meantime, Carraway will need to appear in a different courtroom next month for sentencing in his federal case. Separate from the 270 state charges, he pleaded guilty to 15 federal countsearlier this year.

Carraway admitted to directing young students to engage in sexual activity with each other and with himself, using cellphones to record the acts. Federal prosecutors said he personally recorded videos and also instructed children to send him pornographic content.

The acts occurred at several locations including Judge Sylvania Woods Elementary School, where Carraway was a school volunteer, and inside private homes.

Police arrested Carraway in 2016 after a family member of one of the victims discovered nude images on the victim’s phone and reported it to authorities.

Prosecutors believe he is responsible for abusing at least 23 children.

The case sparked reform efforts within Prince George’s County Public Schools and caused outrage among parents who filed lawsuits against the system, claiming administrators did not do enough to identify and stop Carraway’s crimes.

via WTOP

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