Sun coverage: City Hall investigated
June 23, 2009
Lipscomb accepts plea deal
A developer scheduled to go to trial Monday on charges of bribing a city councilwoman instead pleaded guilty to a lesser violation and agreed to cooperate with the state prosecutor's case against Mayor Sheila Dixon.
June 22, 2009
Lipscomb trial to open today
Jury selection and opening statements are set to start today in the public corruption case against developer Ronald H. Lipscomb, a trial that could reveal much about how development deals are fashioned in Baltimore.
June 18, 2009
Prosecutor signals intent to pursue Holton
The state prosecutor's office filed papers Wednesday signaling its intention to appeal the dismissal of bribery and misconduct charges brought against Baltimore City Councilwoman Helen L. Holton.
May 29, 2009
Dixon scores significant legal victory
Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon won a significant legal victory Thursday when a Circuit Court judge dismissed four perjury charges and one misconduct charge against her, saying they were based on improper evidence. Dixon still faces seven other criminal charges, including theft.
May 29, 2009
Old law helps Dixon, Holton avoid charges
Even if it was bought and paid for, a vote cannot be used as evidence of wrongdoing against an elected official, Circuit Court Judge Dennis M. Sweeney ruled Thursday, ending the entire case against Baltimore City Councilwoman Helen L. Holton and dismissing some of the charges against Mayor Sheila Dixon, the former City Council president.
May 29, 2009
Dixon ruling seen as setback for Rohrbaugh
State Prosecutor Robert A. Rohrbaugh suffered a setback Thursday when a judge threw out perjury charges against Mayor Sheila Dixon and tossed the bribery case against City Councilwoman Helen L. Holton.
Charges against Dixon
• DISMISSED: COUNT 1: Perjury for failing to report gifts from developer Ronald H. Lipscomb on 2003 ethics forms
April 21, 2009
Dixon defense reiterates that charges are flawed
Defense lawyers for Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon reinforced their arguments Monday that the 12 criminal offenses against the mayor should be dropped, with her lawyers insisting that four perjury charges are based on "a fundamental misreading" of the city's ethics code.
April 17, 2009
Prosecutor defends Dixon case
State Prosecutor Robert A. Rohrbaugh defended Thursday the indictment he brought against Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon and asserted in court papers that a jury needs to decide if Dixon falsified ethics forms and stole gift cards intended for needy Baltimore families.
April 9, 2009
Jean Marbella: City tax sale list is a hall of shame
Fur coats, trips and other treats for the mayor? At least $15,348.
April 3, 2009
Dixon's lawyers move to dismiss charges
Lawyers for Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon are seeking to dismiss criminal charges against her, calling a lengthy investigation into her activities a "misguided mission" by a state prosecutor that ended with a "hopelessly confused" 12-count indictment, according to court documents filed Thursday.
April 2, 2009
Jean Marbella: Holton poll seems downright quaint
It may be the second-most-noteworthy thing about the now infamous poll conducted during City Councilwoman Helen L. Holton's 2007 re-election campaign - the response to a name-recognition question. After serving on the council since 1995, and thinking she might have a shot at a citywide office in the future, Holton surely had to be taken aback by these results:
March 27, 2009
Dixon corruption case could expand
The City Hall corruption case against Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon and other officials could widen to include additional development projects, one of several fresh details revealed Thursday when prosecutors and defense attorneys met in open court for the first time.
March 19, 2009
Mystery developer identified in Dixon case
Patrick Turner is the second city developer mentioned in a 12-count indictment against Mayor Sheila Dixon, his spokeswoman confirmed yesterday.
March 11, 2009
Dixon's trial on theft, perjury charges could be in Sept.
Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon's trial on theft, perjury and misuse-of-office charges could be held in early September, a Circuit Court judge ruled yesterday after meeting for the first time with prosecutors and defense attorneys.
February 20, 2009
Dixon's invitation to White House abruptly withdrawn
After being invited yesterday to join more than 70 mayors for a meeting with President Barack Obama at the White House today, indicted Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon was abruptly un-invited hours later, according to her spokesman.
February 19, 2009
Pollster in City Hall corruption case identified
New court filings in a City Hall corruption case identify the pollster who conducted a $12,500 survey for a Baltimore councilwoman as part of a transaction that prosecutors allege was a bribe.
February 18, 2009
Dixon 'floored' by charges, 'bothered' by Obama snub
Mayor Sheila Dixon, in her first extended television interview since she was indicted in January, told WJZ that she was "floored" by the accusation that she stole gift cards from needy families and "bothered" that Barack Obama snubbed her during a pre-inaugural visit to Baltimore.
February 18, 2009
Holton, Lipscomb lawyers ask prosecutors for data
Defense attorneys for Baltimore City Councilwoman Helen L. Holton and developer Ronald H. Lipscomb have filed requests for the state prosecutor to disclose details about the evidence that led to last month's grand jury indictment against them on bribery charges, including information about conversations between them and her role in helping to secure tax breaks for his company.
February 16, 2009
Dixon's pull in session critical
One after another, the Baltimore lawmakers spat complaints at Mayor Sheila Dixon.
February 12, 2009
City Ethics Board considers broader gift disclosure rules
The Baltimore City Ethics Board is considering broader rules that would require officials to disclose gifts from businesses beyond the initial year that companies secure contracts.
February 11, 2009
Retired Howard judge to hear Dixon case
Retired Howard County Judge Dennis M. Sweeney will hear the corruption cases against Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon, City Councilwoman Helen L. Holton and developer Ronald H. Lipscomb, according to a ruling yesterday from a Baltimore Circuit Court judge.
February 4, 2009
Dixon keeping focus on city
Mayor Sheila Dixon joined a police task force visiting the homes of gun offenders in Baltimore yesterday, a demonstration that she was focusing on her job hours after the first hearing on the criminal charges she faces.
January 28, 2009
Dixon raises $195,254 for campaign fund
Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon collected $195,254 for her campaign account last year, a total that included a $15,000 loan from her sister, campaign finance reports show.
January 23, 2009
Mayor not talking about legal-fee reimbursement
Mayor Sheila Dixon shoved a television reporter's microphone yesterday while declining questions about whether taxpayers should foot her legal bills, and several City Council members expressed surprise that her administration would draft a new reimbursement policy while the mayor is under indictment.
January 22, 2009
City taxpayers could pay for Dixon's defense
Baltimore taxpayers could foot the bill for Mayor Sheila Dixon's legal fees under a new policy being drafted by the city law department.
January 16, 2009
Housing official pleads guilty to stealing gift cards
A Baltimore housing department official pleaded guilty yesterday to stealing from the same batch of gift cards for needy families that Mayor Sheila Dixon is accused of pilfering and has agreed to cooperate in a prosecutor's case against the mayor.
2:24 PM EST, January 15, 2009
Dixon may count on sympathetic jurors
If Mayor Sheila Dixon goes to trial before a Baltimore jury, it might include some of the best friends she could hope to find.
January 15, 2009
Dixon defense gets support from city Law Department
Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon's legal defense received a boost yesterday from the city Law Department, less than a week after her indictment on public corruption charges.
January 15, 2009
Peter Hermann: Teens can't look to City Hall for role models
A frustrated Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III, facing an upsurge in crime just days into the new year, said at a news conference recently that he and the mayor can't be the only ones "trying to engage people's morality about violence in this city."
January 13, 2009
Evidence, sympathies could vie in Dixon case
Indicted Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon's first court hearing is scheduled for three weeks from today, but attorneys have already begun dissecting the case against her, with some outlining bountiful defense options that could prove effective in a largely supportive city.
January 13, 2009
Dixon and Holton get back to work
The City Council and Mayor Sheila Dixon returned to business yesterday, but the reverberations from last week's indictments of the mayor and Councilwoman Helen L. Holton contributed to an uneasy tone.
January 12, 2009
Weiner loud in his defense of Dixon
Hours after Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon was indicted on charges of theft, perjury and misuse of office, she headed to the industrial-chic offices of her lead defense attorney, where dozens of reporters and photographers had gathered.
January 11, 2009
It's business as usual for Dixon a day after indictment
A day after becoming the first Baltimore mayor to be indicted, Mayor Sheila Dixon maintained a public schedule designed to show her steely backbone and close connections with the community - donning boxing gloves at a gym in West Baltimore and later giving heartfelt advice to underprivileged girls at a Boys and Girls Club in Brooklyn.
January 11, 2009
Laura Vozzella: Maybe we guessed wrong about Dixon
No surprise that the prosecutor who's been dogging Sheila Dixon for years thinks she's corrupt. The real shocker, if her indictment is to be believed, is that Sheila Dixon thinks Sheila Dixon is corrupt.
January 10, 2009
Baltimore Mayor Dixon indicted
Baltimore Mayor Sheila A. Dixon was charged yesterday with 12 counts of felony theft, perjury, fraud and misconduct in office, becoming the city's first sitting mayor to be criminally indicted.
January 10, 2009
It's difficult to remove a Md. mayor from office
Mayor Sheila Dixon has pledged to fight the charges of theft and perjury she faces and said she will continue to serve in office.
January 10, 2009
Jean Marbella: 'Ah, Baltimore,' Dixon indictment another exasperating moment
It was another "ah, Baltimore" moment. Ever get those? You get exasperated by some bureaucratic runaround at City Hall, and you sigh and steam and maybe that vein on your forehead starts to throb. But after a while, you learn to just surrender - "ah, Baltimore" - and accept you're going to have dial one more number or go to one other office or just do without whatever it is you thought you needed.
January 10, 2009
City Hall scandal: Who's who?
Sheila Dixon
• Baltimore's first female mayor, she assumed the position in January 2007 after Martin O'Malley became governor. She was re-elected later that year.January 10, 2009
What they're saying about Dixon's indictment
"I am very saddened to hear about the indictments that have just come down against Mayor Sheila Dixon. My prayers go out to her and her family. I am confident that she will be found not guilty of all the charges that have been brought against her. During her tenure as Mayor, she has done a remarkable job in continuing the renaissance of the City of Baltimore."
January 10, 2009
Timeline of allegations against Dixon
2004
Jan. 15: Dixon uses a $2,000 gift certificate for a furrier, purchased by an employee of "Developer A," to buy a Persian lamb coat and burnt umber mink coat.January 9, 2009
List of charges against Mayor Sheila Dixon
The 12-count indictment against Mayor Sheila A. Dixon filed Jan. 9, 2009, includes four counts of perjury, three counts of theft, and three counts of fraudulent misappropriation by a fiduciary and two counts of misconduct:
January 9, 2009
Timeline of the investigation into City Hall
Feb. 2006: The Baltimore Sun reports that Mayor Sheila Dixon questions officials from Comcast at an investigative hearing, asking them to give more work to the company that employed her sister, Union Technologies. Dixon had not disclosed that her sister worked for the company as city rules require.
January 9, 2009
Bribery charges against Baltimore councilwoman called difficult to prove
Nearly three years into a City Hall corruption probe, the only charges leveled so far against an elected official appear difficult to prove, veteran attorneys said yesterday. And some wondered why a prominent developer also indicted would resort to a questionable political payment, given his long experience using campaign finance loopholes.
January 9, 2009
Councilwoman Holton vows innocence, is 'holding up very well'
In public, City Councilwoman Helen L. Holton casts a formidable figure.
January 8, 2009
Council member, developer indicted
A Baltimore grand jury indicted a city councilwoman and a developer with close ties to Mayor Sheila Dixon yesterday on bribery charges related to tax breaks for luxury buildings under construction on the city waterfront.
January 8, 2009
Jean Marbella: Two indictments, but so many loose ends
For some years now, the state prosecutor's long-running investigation of City Hall shenanigans has played out like Chinese water torture, drip by excruciating drip. A subpoena here, a plea bargain there, even a raid on the mayor's home - but what did it all add up to?
January 8, 2009
Hard work, political ties eased Lipscomb's rise
Ronald H. Lipscomb loved being part of the development team behind the high-end Four Seasons hotel and condominium tower now rising on Baltimore's transformed Harbor East waterfront.
January 4, 2009
As grand jury expires, City Hall probe at crossroads
With the latest grand jury examining Baltimore City Hall corruption allegations expiring at the end of the week, observers say the nearly three-year-long probe hanging over Mayor Sheila Dixon is approaching a pivotal moment.
October 9, 2008
Uplands contract raises questions
Baltimore's Board of Estimates awarded a $4 million contract for the Uplands redevelopment yesterday to a firm whose bid did not meet city women- and minority-owned business guidelines, passing over two firms that followed the city's policies and causing some elected leaders to ask whether the decision compromises the honesty of Baltimore's bidding process.
October 3, 2008
A scramble for documents
Some City Council members are scrambling to provide documents to satisfy the latest demand for information by state prosecutors who want to know about four development projects related to a probe into City Hall spending.
October 2, 2008
New subpoenas issued in Dixon case
The state prosecutor's office has issued a fresh round of subpoenas seeking information about four development projects, the latest chapter in a long-running probe focused at least in part on gifts Mayor Sheila Dixon received from a developer who received tax breaks from the city.
July 8, 2008
Dixon ally tied to development deal
A development team including a contractor with whom Mayor Sheila Dixon had a relationship was chosen last year for a $200 million project in Southwest Baltimore, even though an independent city panel urged that the contract be awarded to another firm.
June 27, 2008
Probe may turn on taxes
State prosecutors have subpoenaed records from the Maryland comptroller's office, suggesting that the long-standing investigation into City Hall might involve state taxes.
June 27, 2008
Jean Marbella: What do you get for a mink?
You know how you get a song stuck in your head? Ever since the fur started flying in the state prosecutor's investigation of Mayor Sheila Dixon, I keep hearing that song from Guys and Dolls, the one sung by a doll who was shocked, just shocked, at what a guy expected in return for his gifts:
June 26, 2008
Dixon angered over leaks in case
Mayor Sheila Dixon lashed out at prosecutors and reporters yesterday in her first comments since acknowledging having a personal relationship with a developer at the same time that she voted on contracts that benefited his company.
June 25, 2008
Dixon funds linked to firms
Companies linked to a developer questioned in the state investigation of Mayor Sheila Dixon have made nearly $500,000 in political contributions in the past decade, state campaign finance records show.
June 24, 2008
Dixon gifts probed
Prosecutors are investigating whether Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon received thousands of dollars in gifts - including fur coats - from a prominent developer whose projects benefited from tax breaks and zoning changes she supported as City Council president, a document obtained by The Sun shows.
June 24, 2008
Three questioned in City Hall investigation
The state prosecutor's office questioned at least three people yesterday in its investigation into contracting practices at City Hall, including Patrick Turner, president of Turner Development Group, which is developing a residential community called Silo Point in South Baltimore.
June 22, 2008
Prosecutor under fire
Maryland State Prosecutor Robert A. Rohrbaugh claims that he has no hobbies, and that he's just not that interesting. He says he spends long days at his Towson office and then heads home to spend time with his family in Montgomery County.
June 21, 2008
Ex-Dixon spokesman receives subpoena
Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon's former spokesman, a longtime confidant who helped establish the administration's public message, has been subpoenaed in the state prosecutor's widening probe of City Hall, The Sun learned yesterday.
June 20, 2008
Probe includes Dixon's furs
State prosecutors are looking for Mayor Sheila Dixon's fur coats and have been seeking information on gifts she received from people doing business with the city, new lines of inquiry in the probe of City Hall contracts involving her friends.
June 20, 2008
Some see cloud over City Hall
With the raid of Mayor Sheila Dixon's house, the complicated financial investigation that has bubbled through Baltimore news cycles for years officially jumped the local threshold. Political and public relations experts say this whiff of scandal will likely be an investigative cloud hovering over Baltimore's executive office, taking time and attention from pressing city business and potentially thwarting Dixon's agenda for progress.
June 20, 2008
Jean Marbella: The elephant in the room
I'd like to take the opportunity of all those microphones that have been shoved in my face these past couple of days since my house was raided, and speak directly to you, the citizens of Baltimore.
June 20, 2008
Laura Vozzella: A tiny peek into Dixon's closet
Even before prosecutors started sniffing around for Sheila Dixon's fur coats, her people were worried.
June 19, 2008
More subpoenas in Dixon probe
A day after investigators raided Mayor Sheila Dixon's home, more city employees received subpoenas in what appears to be an accelerating investigation into City Hall spending practices.
June 18, 2008
State raids mayor's home
Maryland state prosecutors raided the home of Mayor Sheila Dixon yesterday as part of an investigation into past spending practices at City Hall, the most aggressive move so far in the years-long probe.
June 18, 2008
Inquiry threatens Dixon's momentum
Six months into her historic term as Baltimore's first female mayor, Sheila Dixon has been riding high - the homicide rate is at a two-decade low, the City Council passed her budget almost untouched, and she has won praise for her work on gun control and homelessness.
June 18, 2008
On the scene: Mayor Dixon ducks out
The investigators in dark blue state prosecutor's office jackets arrived at Mayor Sheila Dixon's tidy brick home just an hour after sunrise yesterday. The quiet Hunting Ridge neighborhood on the city's western edge wasn't quiet for long.
June 18, 2008
Council member expresses shock
News that the state prosecutor's office was searching Mayor Sheila Dixon's house gave City Hall a case of emotional whiplash yesterday.
March 11, 2008
Utech head pleads guilty
A city contractor who employed Mayor Sheila Dixon's sister while doing work for the city pleaded guilty yesterday to falsifying tax returns - the latest development in a months-long investigation into questionable spending practices at City Hall.
January 11, 2008
State seeks more city documents
Baltimore's Finance Department and the offices of the city's powerful Board of Estimates have been ordered to turn over documents to the Maryland state prosecutor's office, which has been engaged in a long-standing investigation at City Hall.
November 30, 2007
Prosecutor demanding BDC papers
The city agency that oversees Baltimore development has received a subpoena from the Maryland state prosecutor's office, which has been conducting an investigation into spending practices at City Hall.
November 29, 2007
State raids company with ties to mayor
The office of one of Baltimore's largest developers was raided yesterday by the Maryland state prosecutor's office, which has been engaged in a long-running investigation into questionable spending at City Hall.
September 25, 2007
Dixon friend pleads guilty
Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon's former campaign chairman pleaded guilty to charges of failing to file tax returns related to his work as a computer consultant for the City Council and has agreed to cooperate in the state prosecutor's probe into no-bid contracts at City Hall.
August 31, 2007
Ex-Dixon aide Clark charged
The Maryland state prosecutor charged Mayor Sheila Dixon's former campaign chairman yesterday with failing to file state income tax returns for three of the six years in which he earned $500,000 working without a contract as the Baltimore City Council's computer consultant.
January 12, 2007
Ethics board clears Dixon
Nearly a year after beginning an inquiry into whether City Council President Sheila Dixon used her influence to direct city money to a company that employed her sister, Baltimore's Board of Ethics announced yesterday that it has found no cause to pursue the allegations.
December 21, 2006
Dixon decries state inquiry
City Council President Sheila Dixon said yesterday that a state investigation into government contracts related to her office has unfairly sullied her reputation and that the probe's lone indictment proves she is "innocent."
December 8, 2006
Ethics inquiry could be awkward
Since February, Baltimore's Board of Ethics has delayed a detailed review of City Council President Sheila Dixon's participation in official business that benefited a company that employed her sister.
March 16, 2006
Dixon probe begins
State prosecutors have opened an investigation into the Baltimore City Council's computer services contract, ordering city officials to turn over documents detailing how and why the city paid $600,000 to Council President Sheila Dixon's friend for six years.
March 12, 2006
Dixon steered work to ex-aide
For the past six years Baltimore City Council President Sheila Dixon has steered government work worth at least $600,000 to her former campaign chairman, most of the time without a written contract.
February 21, 2006
Contract presents questions for Dixon
One of the Baltimore contracts that prompted an ethics review of City Council President Sheila Dixon was the subject of contentious hearings in 2004 and 2005 that involved accusations of bid steering.
February 6, 2006
Dixon's use of hearing at issue
In what may be a violation of the city ethics law, Baltimore City Council President Sheila Dixon used an investigative hearing to press a major city contractor on why it was not awarding more work to a company that employs her sister.
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