Baltimore City employee admits to bribery, PPP fraud

BALTIMORE, MD—A former Baltimore City employee has admitted to taking bribes and defrauding the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Joseph Gillespie, 35, of Baltimore, was found to have stolen more than $250,000 in bribes and received more than $138,000 in fraudulent PPP loans. Gillespie pleaded guilty on Friday to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bribery. He worked for the […]

Lab owner ordered to pay $26 million in COVID-19 fraud case

BALTIMORE, MD—A federal judge in the the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland has awarded a $26 million judgment against a laboratory company and its owner, accusing the company of defrauding the federal government out of millions of dollars during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patrick Britton-Harr owns Provista Health, LLC. The company is accused of offering COVID-19 tests to […]

Florida man facing federal charges for COVID-19 unemployment insurance fraud in Maryland, California

BALTIMORE, MD—A Florida man is facing federal charges for allegedly stealing the identities of several victims and filing fraudulent COVID-19 unemployment insurance claims in Maryland and California. David Godin, also known as James St. Patrick, David Wetty, and Vic Pro, was arrested by law enforcement in Florida and had his initial appearance in the U.S. District Court in Miami on […]

Maryland graduation rates show slight decrease from previous year

BALTIMORE, MD—The Maryland State Department of Education on Tuesday released new graduation rates for students graduating from public schools this year, showing a slight decrease from the previous year. According to the data, the 2023 cohort graduation rate was 85.8%, down from 86.3% in 2022. The graduation rate for economically disadvantaged students rose slightly from 75.7% in 2021-2022 to 80.8% […]

Olszewski announces grants to support Baltimore County-based farms in pandemic-related recovery efforts

TOWSON, MD—County Executive Johnny Olszewski on Monday announced the availability of $500,000 in grant funding for Baltimore County-based farms impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The grants, made possible through the County’s allocation of American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funds, will assist with managing ongoing production challenges and offsetting the negative impacts of the pandemic. “The importance of Baltimore County’s farms – […]

Baltimore County man, woman plead guilty to fraudulently obtaining over $300,000 in COVID-19 CARES Act loans

BALTIMORE, MD—A Baltimore County man and woman have pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining more than $300,000 in federal COVID-19 CARES Act loans. Theodore Mouzon, 42, of Pikesville, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, relating to the submission of fraudulent CARES Act loan applications. Co-defendant Yannice Nunez, 34, of Baltimore County, pleaded guilty to the same charge on […]

Former Maryland social media influencer sentenced to 3 years in prison for scheming to obtain over $1.2 million in COVID-19 CARES Act loans

GREENBELT, MD—A Maryland man has been sentenced to prison in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $1.2 million in federal relief loans. U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman has sentenced Denish Sahadevan, a/k/a “Danny Devan,” 32, of Potomac, to three years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for wire fraud, aggravated identity theft […]

Middle River man, brother convicted on bribery charges related to PPE procurement during pandemic

BALTIMORE, MD—Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown on Monday announced the bribery convictions of James W. DiPino, 62; Paul J. DiPino, Jr., 56; and AB Medical, LLC relating to the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) by the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Each defendant was convicted of bribery after pleading guilty in […]