ELECTION 2022: FORENSIC of CAMPAIGN FINANCES – Charles County States Attorney Tony Covington campaign contributions

Does George Soros pump money into Charles County prosecutor politics?

News and Commentary

BY KENNETH C. ROSSIGNOL

THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY

LA PLATA, MD. – Charles County States Attorney Tony Covington has done an admirable job of raising money for a campaign he didn’t need to run as he had no opponent in 2018. But that didn’t stop the flow of cash to his campaign coffers from criminal defense attorneys, a consultant, the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs baseball team, and many others in the 2018 campaign.

Covington was elected to his third term, following in the footsteps of the previous States attorney, Leonard Collins. According to campaign filings for Covington, Collins donated $40.00 to his successor in the last election cycle.

An examination of the campaign finance reports required under Maryland law shows the always questionable contributions from members of the bar who practice in the same courts as the prosecutor that they contribute campaign funds. The election campaign reports to Maryland by Citizens for Tony Covington reveals a substantial list of barristers making what some could call an advance auction of plea deals.  

There otherwise is no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of Charles County States Attorney Anthony Covington in his campaign or the manner or methods of his campaign fundraising.

Most importantly, there are no reported donations from the socialist political action committees funded by international Marxist George Soros. Soros has funded various prosecutors in the Maryland and Virginia area, and their actions lead to more damage to victims and higher crime rates.

From a campaign finance report review, Charles County States Attorney Tony Covington is clean and the work he and his staff have been doing fulfill the mission of achieving justice for victims and acting to defeat crime.

Citizens for Tony Covington filed an Annual Report on January 17, 2022, stating that the committee won’t accept donations or spend money over the amount of $1,000.00 in the 2022 reporting cycle.

The annual report filed by the committee for January 13, 2021, the filing period showed a prior balance of $21,459.57, total receipts of $3,248.24, and a cash balance of $24,707.81. The committee listed zero expenditures during the reporting period and carried an outstanding loan of $1,000.00 payable to Anthony Covington.

For the reporting period requiring filing an annual report on January 8, 2020, the committee reported a prior balance of $16,224.17, total receipts of $27,050.00, expenditures of $21,814.60 a cash balance of $21,459.57. The majority of the expenses and the income were related to a golf tournament to raise funds for the committee. Cops and lawyers like to play a lot of golf.

DONATIONS TO CITIZENS FOR TONY COVINGTON

On May 3, 2018, the corporation that owns the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, Crabs on Deck LLC, provided $2565.00 to Covington for his campaign.

Gregory “Steve” Proctor Jr. is the president and CEO of G. S. Proctor & Associations based in Upper Marlboro, Md., with four offices in the region. Proctor’s firm says that it is a large private sector advocacy firm, which in the down and dirty world of politics means that they are lobbyists. The company says that it consistently ranks among the top ten lobbying firms in Maryland. G.S. Proctor and Associates Inc. donated $1,000.00 to Covington’s campaign on April 9, 2018. To be sure that States Attorney Covington was aware of who prominent G.S. Proctor and Associates are in the world of lobbyists, they forked over $5,000.00 on September 30, 2019, to a campaign that was non-existent.

Based in Waldorf, Beltway Paving of Southern Maryland donated $1,000.00 on September 30, 2019.

Westlake Youth Athletic Org. Inc. contributed $200.00 to Covington on September 30, 2019.

Liberty Construction sent a donation to Covington for $500.00 from their offices on Bad Dog Alley in Waldorf, Md. Liberty Construction also ponied up another $1,500.00 on September 25, 2019.

Nationwide Electrical Services Inc., of Washington, D.C., on September 30, 2019, provided the handsome sun of $1,600 to Tony’s committee.

Karen R. Piper Mitchell is Deputy State’s Attorney in Covington’s office, and she forked over a donation of $250.00 on November 5, 2019, to her boss for a campaign that he didn’t have to run. On May 9, 2018, Piper-Mitchell gave her boss’s campaign committee $109.00. She first started working for the Charles County States Attorney’s Office in 1999, making one wonder how many donations she has been expected to provide.

Tiffany L. Campbell, Assistant State’s Attorney, has been with the office since September 2007 and, on April 26, 2018, contributed $160.00 to her boss’s campaign committee.

Judge Patrick A. Devine lost the election in 2020 to retain his seat as an Associate Judge of the Circuit Court in Charles County following his appointment by Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan. States Attorney Covington gave the dethroned Judge a job as an assistant States Attorney, a position he held from 1990 to 1995. Devine provided a donation of $100 .00 from the Citizens to Keep Judge Patrick Devine on September 25, 2019, instead of spending the money to get people to vote to keep Judge Patrick Devine.  

Judge Devine was on the bench from January 4, 2019, to December 18, 2020, until he lost the election in 2020 to Makeba Gibbs. Devine was one of three sitting judges appointed by Governor Larry Hogan to be tossed off the bench by voters in the 2020 election. The others were Jared McCarthy in Prince Georges County, who April T. Ademiluyi beat, and John T. Kuchno in Howard County, who Quincy L. Coleman defeated. Each of the contested judicial seats that changed hands was won by a black, thereby proving that the minority participation in elections can really affect diversifying the judiciary in Maryland.

CMI General Contractors contributed the sum of $1,000.00 to Citizens for Tony Covington on September 25, 2019.

Laura Forbes-Brown, of The Dehanes Real Estate Team in LaPlata, provided $750.00 on November 5, 2019.

Ralph David Williams of La Plata must have qualified for one of the frequent contributor punch cards like Sheetz has for coffee as he donated $250.00 on September 25, 2019, $100.00 on October 19, 2018, and another $80.00 on April 23, 2018. Dave worked from 2005 until 2022 as an investigator for the Charles County States Attorney Office. Dave knows where the find the free coffee.

Theodore R. Jones, a retired Maryland State Police homicide detective and chief of investigations for the Charles County States Attorney, contributed to his boss’s campaign in the amount of $400.00 on April 30, 2018.

Larry Sutton, CEO of Genesis Consulting, contributed $2,500.00 to Citizens for Tony Covington on September 30, 2019. Genesis Consulting Inc. of Glen Allen, Va, gave $1,500 to Covington’s campaign on January 2, 2018.

CHARLES COUNTY CRIME SOLVERS: Anyone who considers donating to the Crime Solvers in Charles County ought to think twice about doing so in the future. Official campaign finance records filed by Citizens for Tony Covington reports that Crime Solvers donated $500.00 to the campaign for Anthony Covington on May 9, 2018. The funds given to and raised by Crime Solvers are intended to provide rewards for tips to solve crimes, not to play around in partisan politics.

ATTORNEY CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE GUY WHO DECIDES ON PLEA DEALS WHICH ARE THE BREAD AND BUTTER OF DEFENSE LAWYERS

• Sasscer, Claggett, and Bucher, of Upper Marlboro, $500.00, November 5, 2019.
• Law Office of Robert R. Castro, of Waldorf, $1,500.00, on September 30, 2019; $600.00 on April 24, 2018.
• Thomas E. Pyles, P.A. of Waldorf, $750.00, on September 25, 2019; $480.00 on April 20, 2018.
• Hammad S. Matin, of La Plata, $5,000.00 on September 25, 2019; $100.00 on October 19, 2019. Matin might also have a contribution punch card for frequent givers as he plunked down $1,000.00 on April 23, 2018. Does he get a free coffee at the LaPlata Wawa? Something else?
• Gracia and Mintz LLC, of Fort Washington, $300.00 on September 30, 2019.
• Smith, Graham & Crump, of Largo, Md., sent in a donation of $125.00 on January 10, 2018. The same firm came up with another contribution on January 16, 2020, in the amount of $500.00.
• Joseph F. Vallario of Suitland, Md., contributed $250.00 to Citizens for Tony Covington on September 30, 2019.
• Rudolf A Carrico, of La Plata, found it in his best interest and the cause of justice everywhere to provide to the campaign to reelect Tony Covington over all others who may want his job, on April 10, 2018, the princely sum of $400.00.

The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #24 in LaPlata found making a contribution of $400.00 to a politician’s campaign when he had no opponent to be the best use of their funds. The money was paid out to Citizens for Tony Covington on April 27, 2018.