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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 11 March 2020

Baltimore businessman admits to bribing former lawmaker

By REGINA GARCIA CANO Glenn is one of three FBI agents in February 2019
Associated Press elected officials who have and admitted to receiving
BALTIMORE (AP) — A Balti- recently faced federal $33,750 in exchange for
more businessman plead- public corruption charges granting various legislative
ed guilty Monday to two in Maryland. Former Bal- favors, including work rel-
federal charges stemming timore Mayor Catherine evant to the marijuana in-
from bribes totaling $42,500 Pugh was sentenced last dustry. Lucas' attorney, Jer-
that he paid to a former month to three years in pris- ry Tarud, after the hearing
state lawmaker while she on for fraudulent sales of said some of his clients' in-
was still in office. her self-published children's teractions with Glenn were
Lance Andre Lucas plead- books used to promote wiretapped.
ed guilty to federal honest her political career, while The charging document
services wire fraud and a former state Del. Tawanna states that Lucas in March
travel act violation, admit- Gaines was sentenced to 2019 even offered to pay
ting to bribing former state six months in prison in Janu- Glenn up to $80,000 to help
Del. Cheryl Diane Glenn. ary for misusing campaign a different unnamed com-
The veteran Democratic funds for her personal ben- pany secure a medical
lawmaker and leading efit. marijuana growing license.
advocate of marijuana le- Lucas made 11 payments Days after that conversa-
galization pleaded guilty in to Glenn, starting with four tion, Lucas gave Glenn
January to accepting more money orders, each for $1,000 in cash, and two
than $33,000 in bribes from $500, on May 2018 after weeks later, she told him
people other than Lucas. he told her about the sig- that she "got a guy on the
"Yes, your honor," Lucas re- nificant costs that an un- inside" of the state's Medi-
sponded when questioned named company had cal Marijuana Cannabis
repeatedly by the federal incurred in its pursuit of a Commission that would
judge, including whether medical marijuana dispen- give his company "an ad-
he understood the charges sary license. During a lunch vantage during the appli-
against him. Lucas, 44, was meeting in Baltimore, Glenn cation process."
charged by information, suggested she would have In this April 12, 2017, file photo, Delegate Cheryl Diane Glenn, a The commission oversees
which is a type of charg- drafted a bill benefiting the Baltimore Democrat who chairs the Legislative Black Caucus of all licensing of the state's
ing document prosecutors company had he paid her Maryland, speaks during a news conference in Baltimore. medical marijuana pro-
use when a defendant has the money spent in the ef- Associated Press gram. It is named after
waived being indicted by a fort to get the license, ac- document. money after Glenn had al- Glenn's late mother, Nata-
grand jury. cording to the charging Lucas paid the bulk of the ready been interviewed by lie M. LaPrade. q

Man, woman charged with

trespassing at Trump's Mar-a-Lago

PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A mediately disclosed. The release said. Trump was
man and woman were ar- man and woman drove a not in Florida at the time,
rested Tuesday after park- pickup truck onto the re- though he had played host
ing a pickup truck and sort grounds after being to Brazilian President Jair
remaining near President warned not to and then re- Bolsonaro at the resort over
Donald Trump's Mar-a-La- fused to leave, police said. the weekend. Last month,
go resort in Florida without After they were taken into a homeless man was ar-
permission, authorities said. custody, the Palm Beach rested outside Mar-a-Lago
The man and woman were County Sheriff's Office and charged with trespass-
charged with trespassing bomb squad responded ing. A Connecticut opera
after warning and resisting to make sure the vehicle singer accused of going
without violence, accord- wasn't dangerous. through a checkpoint at
ing to a Palm Beach Police At no time was the com- the resort and drawing
Department news release. munity, resort guests or re- gunfire in January faces
Their names weren't im- sort staff at risk, the news multiple charges.q