MARYLAND NEWS

Guest Commentary in the Baltimore Sun

Source: The Maryland Daily Record

According to his plea agreement, the man  owned and operated a non-profit that provided after-school and summer education and sports programs at a Baltimore elementary school from 2015 through 2019.  In 2015, Sherrod applied for a grant funded by the U.S. Department of Education through the Maryland State Department of Education to help support those programs and was awarded approximately $1.1 million sub-program federal funding initiative to be paid over three years. ..As stated in his plea agreement, Sherrod lost a significant amount of the grant funds intended for his non-profit gambling at casinos. Source: US Attorney, District of Maryland

The Maryland U.S. Attorney and other federal prosecutors are investigating up to $90 billion in suspected CARES Act and Payroll Protection Program fraud across the United States as the newly appointed prosecutor said catching bad actors who took advantage of the pandemic relief programs is a "top priority." Source: Baltimore Business Journal

The Maryland Attorney General joined a bipartisan coalition of 48 attorneys general in continuing to fight to end Facebook’s illegal efforts to stifle competition and protect its monopoly power. According to the Attorney General, over the last decade, Facebook, now known as Meta, illegally acquired competitors in a predatory manner and cut or conditioned services to smaller threats — depriving users of the benefits of competition and reducing privacy protections and services along the way — all in an effort to boost its bottom line through increased advertising. Source: Maryland Attorney General

After leaving DHS-OIG, the former official founded Delta Business Solutions Inc., located in Maryland. From at least 2015 until 2017, he stole software from DHS-OIG, along with sensitive government databases containing personal identifying information of DHS and USPS employees, so that his company could develop a commercially-owned version of a case management system to be offered for sale to government agencies. Source: U.S. Department of Justice

Settlement Includes $1.7 Billion in Debt Cancellation and $95 Million in Restitution; Maryland Borrowers Will Receive over $37 Million in Relief. This settlement, joined by a coalition of 39 attorneys general, resolves claims that since 2009,despite representing that it would help borrowers find the best repayment options for them, Navient Corporation steered struggling student loan borrowers into costly long-term forbearances instead of counseling them about the benefits of more affordable income-driven repayment plans. Source: Maryland Attorney General

Allegedly Claimed to Have Experienced Financial Hardship Resulting from Coronavirus to Obtain Distributions from the City of Baltimore’s Deferred Compensation Plan, Which She Used Toward Down Payments for Vacation Homes in Florida. Source: US Attorney, District of Maryland

Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot is calling for the state to establish a centralized fraud detection center to protect public agencies from would-be scams. Source: WJZ-CBS Baltimore

“Education and information are an investor’s best defense against investment fraud, ”Melanie Senter Lubin, The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) President and Maryland Securities Commissioner said.

The top threats to investors were determined by surveying North American securities regulators to identify the most problematic products, practices or schemes. The following were cited most often by state and provincial securities regulators:

1. Investments tied to cryptocurrencies and digital assets,

2. Fraud offerings related to promissory notes,

3. Money scams offered through social media and internet investment offers and,

4. Financial schemes connected to Self-Directed Individual Retirement Accounts.

Source: NASAA.org