Someone has been counterfeiting governor’s citations, and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s office is trying to figure out who is doing it — and why.
The Republican governor was asked about the fake citations during a news conference that he called to propose actions to combat hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
“There were some people who were copying governor’s citations and handing them out to members of the Asian community that weren’t real,” Hogan said.
Hogan said he did not know the scope of the fake citations but said the matter is being investigated. It’s been referred to the Maryland State Police, according to the governor’s office.
The existence of faked citations was first reported in Korean-language media, including the Korea Times.
Politicians regularly award citations to individuals, community groups and businesses for all manner of accomplishments, from milestone birthdays to business anniversaries.
“We’re happy to provide governor’s citations repeatedly to people who do good things in the community. It’s really a ceremonial thing to recognize good hard work,” Hogan said.
He added: “I’m not sure who was printing the fake governor’s citations or why, but it’s a problem.”
The governor’s office has a website for requesting citations, letters or other documents from the governor.