Baltimore Lawmakers Ask City Council President Nick Mosby To Return Donations That Violate Ethics Law – CBS Baltimore

BALTIMORE (WJZ) – According to the Baltimore Banner, a group of Baltimore city council members are asking Councilmember Nick Mosby to return proceeds from a fund set up to cover legal expenses.

The Baltimore City Ethics Commission on Thursday said Mosby violated the city’s ethics law by accepting donations. His wife, Baltimore State Attorney Marilyn Mosby, also benefited from the donations.

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All four members of the panel found that the donations violated the part of an ethics law that forbids “a public official from offering — or facilitating the solicitation of — a gift from a donor. controlled subsidies,” according to a newly released report.

The group of local lawmakers — including Zeke Cohen, Kris Burnett, James Torrence, Ryan Dorsey, Phylicia Porter, and Odette Ramos — sent their refund request to Mosby in a letter, obtained by Baltimore Banner staff on Saturday.

“The Ethics Board Administrative Order provides a clear and simple path for you to correct your repeated Ethics violations,” the letter reads. “For the sake of the trust and morale of both the public and City Council, we ask that you immediately and fully comply with the Order.”

Baltimore Banner reporter Emily Sullivan notes that the eight council members who have not commented publicly on moral decay are allies of Mosby “whom he appointed to lead legislative committees or to represent him on his behalf.” introduce bills.”

Those board members include John Bullock, Eric Costello, Danielle McCray, Mark Conway, Sharon Green Middleton, Robert Stokes, Antonio Glover and Isaac “Yitzy” Schleifer.

The Mosby Trust, a legal defense advocacy group for what it calls an “unfair, politically motivated federal criminal tax investigation,” are known to the council’s chairman, though He declined to give their names.

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In a statement, Mosby denied any breach of the code of ethics and said he was “totally baffled” by the board’s findings.

“The Board of Directors is fully aware that I have never asked, asked or solicited any person to contribute to a ‘legitimate hedge fund.’ The Board also knows that I have never supported the creation of a legal defense fund or the organization that controls donated funds. In fact, I actively declined any interest in that trust, to their findings, and I directed the trust to return the limited amount received on my behalf.

The board said Mosby must disclose his “beneficiary interest” in the trust and amend his campaign finance forms within 30 days, and he was ordered not to accept the claims. payments from the trust as well.

Mosby must also ask the team to stop donating on his behalf within 30 days and return any funds to the donors.

In a statement, Mayor Brandon Scott said the report marks “another sad day for Baltimore and another unwanted distraction as we work to move our city forward.”

“These violations reflect badly on our city as a whole and are counterproductive. I vow to continue working to rebuild public trust between our people and the City government,” he said.

In March 2021, federal prosecutors announced an investigation into the couple’s finances, requesting records including tax returns from 2014 to 2020, canceled checks, receipts, and credit cards. credit and loan statement.

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Marilyn Mosby is set to appear in court in September, where she faces charges that she lied about enduring COVID-19-related financial hardship in order to withdraw money without penalty from her retirement account. She and I falsified information on an application for a two-property loan in Florida.