It disappointed me to learn that Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon was indicted on charges (28-page indictment, PDF format) that she accepted illegal gifts during her time as mayor and City Council president, including travel, fur coats and gift cards that she allegedly used for a holiday shopping spree.
The 12 counts included four counts of perjury, two counts of misconduct, three counts of theft and three counts of fraudulent misappropriations. Alledgedly, the mayor received gifts from developer Ron Lipscomb, as well as the use of those gift cards to purchase $237 worth of merchandise, including a PlayStation2 and DVDs.
Dixon released a statement about the charges.
Dixon released a statement about the charges.
"There is something I want to tell the citizens of this great city about the charges that the State Prosecutor has brought against me today.
For the past two years, I have done my best to serve the City of Baltimore as Mayor, and I will continue to do so. I will not let these charges deter me from keeping Baltimore on the path that we have set, or from carrying forward the significant progress we have made thus far.
I am being unfairly accused. Time will prove that I have done nothing wrong, and I am confident that I will be found innocent of these charges. But, for the moment, I cannot comment further on the allegations that have been made against me. Instead, my attorneys will address these matters on my behalf.
I want to make it clear, though, that I will continue to put all of my energies into running the City of Baltimore during these perilous economic times. And with God's grace, I am confident that the city, my family and I will weather this storm."
Mayor Dixon appears to have more allies that Gov. Blagojevich does in his state. I noticed that the Baltimore Police Department released a statement about the indictment.
"The indictment against Mayor Sheila Dixon is a matter between the mayor and the state of Maryland. Police Commissioner Frederick Bealefeld is focused on targeting bad guys with guns and addressing the policing needs of the city of Baltimore. Mayor Dixon has been and will continue to be a great leader and partner in Baltimore's fight to get illegal guns off the streets, advocating for tougher gun control laws and improve overall public safety for the residents, business owners and visitors of the city."
If found guilty, Dixon could face jail time.
Do you think that there is something to this indictment? Or does it just appear to be a Republican prosecuter's witch hunt against a hard-working civil servant? What say u?
Do you think that there is something to this indictment? Or does it just appear to be a Republican prosecuter's witch hunt against a hard-working civil servant? What say u?
