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U.S. NEWS Friday 22 November 2019

Former Baltimore mayor enters guilty pleas in fraud case

By BRIAN WITTE and REGINA Corruption in Baltimore has
GARCIA CANO regularly fed headlines.
Associated Press State Sen. Nathaniel Oaks,
BALTIMORE (AP) — The dis- a Democrat, was sen-
graced former mayor of tenced in 2018 to three
Baltimore pleaded guilty and a half years in prison
Thursday to federal con- in a bribery case. This year,
spiracy and tax evasion former Police Commission-
charges in a case involving er Darryl De Sousa plead-
sales of her self-published ed guilty to three counts
children's books and expos- of failing to file federal tax
ing once again the depths returns. Baltimore also is still
of corruption in the city. grappling with another po-
Catherine Pugh pleaded lice scandal: A task force
guilty in federal court in created to get illegal guns
Baltimore to conspiracy to off the streets spent years
commit wire fraud, con- ripping off drug dealers
spiracy to defraud the gov- and stealing money from
ernment and two counts of citizens.
tax evasion. She pleaded Meanwhile, the police de-
not guilty to seven counts partment remains under
of wire fraud that were in- a federal consent decree
cluded in the indictment requiring sweeping reforms.
unsealed a day earlier. It was authorized in Janu-
The case centers on sales of ary after the U.S. Justice
her self-published "Healthy Department released a
Holly" books to nonprofits scathing report detailing
and foundations to pro- longstanding patterns of
mote her political career Former Baltimore mayor Catherine Pugh, center, leaves U.S. District Court in Baltimore on Thursday, racial profiling and exces-
and fund her run for mayor. Nov. 21, 2019. sive force within Baltimore's
Pugh, a longtime Demo- Associated Press police force.
cratic politician who was house flanked by attorneys $500,000 for 100,000 copies mistake" after the scheme Federal authorities began
elected mayor in 2016, re- after the hearing and left that were meant to be dis- was uncovered. investigating city police fol-
signed under pressure in in a waiting SUV. Defense tributed to schoolchildren, Brown and another city lowing the April 2015 death
May. attorney Steven Silverman but about 60,000 of those employee, Roslyn Weding- of a young black man,
Pugh faces up to 35 years declined to comment. books were sent to a city ton, have pleaded guilty to Freddie Gray, while in the
in prison. U.S. Attorney Rob- Hur said Pugh's admissions warehouse and a Pugh of- conspiracy to commit wire custody of officers. In April,
ert Hur said she could be of guilt "demonstrated fice from where thousands fraud, conspiracy to de- Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan
sentenced to about five that she betrayed the trust were later removed to give fraud the government and signed emergency legisla-
years based on sentenc- placed on her." to other customers. filing a false tax return. Their tion to overhaul the Univer-
ing guidelines, but a judge Prosecutors explained how Pugh never delivered the sentencing hearing hasn't sity of Maryland Medical
would make the final deter- Pugh, helped by her aide other 40,000 books that the been scheduled. System's board of directors,
mination. Her sentencing is Gary Brown Jr., double- health system purchased Pugh became Baltimore's after Pugh's shadowy book
set for Feb. 27. sold the illustrated paper- for city schools. The system second mayor in less than deals became the public
Pugh only spoke to answer backs and failed to deliver wrote the first check for the a decade to step down face of a wider self-dealing
questions from the judge. them to institutions they books in 2011 and the last because of scandal. For- scandal in the system.
She mostly rested her face were purchased for, in- one last year. mer Mayor Sheila Dixon "The people of Baltimore,
on her hands, occasionally cluding the Baltimore City Pugh, 69, had previously left office in 2010 as part and all Marylanders, should
spoke to her attorney and Public Schools. They said served in the state Senate, of a plea deal for misap- be able to have confi-
swiveled on her chair. Pugh used the proceeds to where she sat on a commit- propriating about $500 in dence in the honesty and
"I do," she said after U.S. Dis- fund straw donations to her tee that funded the medi- gift cards meant for needy character of the people
trict Judge Deborah Cha- mayoral campaign and to cal system. She also sat families. they elect to office," Ho-
sanow asked her whether renovate a house. on the hospital network's The charges against Pugh gan, a Republican, said
she agreed that several Assistant U.S. Attorney Mar- board from 2001 until the came as the city has strug- Wednesday. "It is complete-
facts presented by pros- tin Clarke detailed how scandal erupted in March. gled with violent crime and ly unacceptable anytime a
ecutors, including how the University of Maryland The system described some other cases of public cor- public official violates the
books were shuffled from a Medical System — one of of the purchases as "grants" ruption, as well as a major public trust. That's why I
city warehouse, were true. the state's largest employ- in federal filings. Pugh re- police scandal. This is the pledged to put an end to
Wearing a pinstriped dark ers — came to be Pugh's turned the last $100,000 fifth consecutive year the business as usual, clean up
coat and scarf, she silently biggest book customer. The payment and described city has had more than 300 the mess, and restore integ-
walked out of the court- system paid Pugh a total of the deal as a "regrettable homicides. rity in government."q