ELECTION 2022 PETER FRANCHOT ENDORSED BY CONVICTED FELON FORMER SENATOR THOMAS BROMWELL; Franchot Campaign retains endorsement of senator convicted of racketeering, tax evasion, the no-show job for his wife.
ANNAPOLIS, MD. – In his quest to become Governor of Maryland, Comptroller Peter Franchot enjoys a reputation as a dogged conservator of the tax dollars and insists on frugal government operations. Ironically, Franchot has accepted and is promoting the endorsement of a former State Senator from Baltimore County who was convicted of racketeering, tax fraud, and filing false tax returns. Bromwell’s fraud schemes took place as Franchot was taking office, making it more difficult to understand why Franchot and his staff didn’t notice they were signing up a convicted felon to support the campaign for Governor.
ALL FOR PETER FRANCHOT TO BE GOVERNOR!
Maryland State Senator Thomas Bromwell was committed to federal prison in 2007 and released in 2013 is included in a long list of one hundred present and former elected officials who believe that Franchot is the best bet for voters to choose to be the next Governor of Maryland.
Franchot was elected to the post of Comptroller when he snuck out of the starting gate in 2006 and won the Democratic primary over incumbent William Donald Schaefer and went on to win against whatever lightweight the GOP put up as a candidate.
Schaefer, the former mayor of Baltimore and two-term Governor of Maryland, made an offhand remark about a staffer’s derriere at a Board of Public Works meeting and his career in politics came to a quick ending.
CROOKED STATE SENATOR BROMWELL REMAINS ON FRANCHOT LIST OF ENDORSEMENTS 3 WEEKS LATER
Comptroller Peter Franchot returned a call asking for comment about having a convicted felon who went to federal prison endorsing his campaign. Franchot indicated he would review the matter and three weeks later, as of February 20, 2022, Convicted Felon “Tom Bromwell, Senator, Baltimore County” is still on the list of those supporting Peter Franchot, which ought to tell observers a lot about the campaign staff the Comptroller has working for him.
Franchot has built a solid reputation for honesty and efficiency but clearly, his staff is building a record of stupidity and numbskullness (a new word).
Franchot was asked if his staff gleaned his endorsement list for any other officials who have been convicted of fleecing the taxpayers and spending time in prison.
Accountability?
Will Franchot fire the staffer who should have vetted the list of endorsers and botched the county where some of them are from when compiling the list. (Hint: Johnny Wood is from St. Mary’s County, not Charles.) Will the staffer at least be demoted from Chief Endorser Looker Upper to the rank of Data Miner Third Class?
FORMER STATE SENATOR THOMAS BROMWELL WAS SENTENCED TO 7 YEARS ON CHARGES OF RACKETEERING CONSPIRACY AND FILING A FALSE TAX RETURN
Agrees to Forfeit Over $2 Million; Mary Patricia Bromwell Sentenced to a Year and a Day for Mail Fraud
BALTIMORE, Maryland (2007) – U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz sentenced former Maryland State Senator Thomas L. Bromwell, Sr., 58, of Baltimore, to seven years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release racketeering conspiracy and filing a false tax return.
The conviction relates to former Senator Bromwell’s corrupt use of his official position and influence in exchange for payments and other benefits. Judge Motz also sentenced Bromwell’s wife, Mary Patricia Bromwell, 44, to a year and a day in prison, followed by two years of supervised release for mail fraud arising from a related minority-contracting fraud scheme. Judge Motz further ordered the Bromwell’s to forfeit over $2 million, including their interest in certain bank accounts and their Baltimore County residence.
U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said, “I commend the federal prosecutors and agents who overcame a web of corruption, fraud, and deceit by conducting a diligent and professional investigation, consistent with the highest standards of the Department of Justice. The investigation has resulted in the convictions of nine defendants for a corruption scheme that affected millions of dollars of state government contracts. This case should send a powerful message that government officials who betray the public trust will be held accountable. Thomas Bromwell brazenly traded his political influence for money, and Mary Patricia Bromwell participated in the scheme by taking nearly $200,000 for a no-show job and deceiving investigators.
“No corrupt public servant is exempt from FBI scrutiny ” stated Special Agent in Charge (SAC) William D. Chase of the Baltimore Field Office. “This is an unfortunate event for all citizens of Maryland. It is extremely disappointing that Mr. Bromwell used his position to line his pockets, and the pockets of his friends, at the expense of the public who trusted in him. The citizens of Maryland deserve upstanding and ethical public officials serving in their state legislature. The FBI will continue to work with local, state, and federal partners to combat public corruption.
Special Agent in Charge Francis L. Turner, IRS, Criminal Investigation stated, “Public officials must comply with the same tax obligations as the citizens they were elected to serve. No one is above the law!”
According to the stipulated statements of facts, Thomas Bromwell, Mary Patricia Bromwell, David Stoffregen, who was the president of the Poole and Kent Corporation (P&K), and others conspired to engage in a criminal money-making enterprise in which former Senator Bromwell and Mary Patricia Bromwell accepted benefits from Stoffregen and others in exchange for Senator Bromwell using his official influence and position to intervene in business disputes on behalf of P&K. The benefits provided to the Bromwells included the following:
- $192,923 paid to Mary Patricia Bromwell for a no-show job;
- construction work valued at more than $85,000 on the Bromwells’ home;
- the award of a $1.3 million contract to a company that paid Bromwell to bring in business; and free labor and materials provided to Thomas Bromwell’s construction company.
In exchange for these benefits, then-Senator Bromwell used his influence in the following ways, among others:
- to help Stoffregen and P&K win a multi-million dollar bid over a competitor with a lower bid and thereby earn a $1.8 million profit on the construction of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) Weinberg Building in downtown Baltimore;
- to expedite monthly payments from the Maryland Comptroller’s Office to P&K for work performed on the Juvenile Justice Center project; and
- to intervene on P&K’s behalf in contract payment disputes relating to the UMMS and Juvenile Justice Center projects.
The conspiracy further involved the use of a minority front company, Namco Services Corporation, to obtain construction contracts for P&K. Stoffregen used the front company to disguise payments made to the Bromwell’s in the course of the conspiracy. Mary Patricia Bromwell posed as an employee of Namco in order to deceive state inspectors.
Thomas Bromwell also admitted that he had filed false tax returns in which he failed to report both personal and business income for the 2000 and 2001 years, and that he had made false statements to federal investigators.