DON’T MISS AN EPISODE:

Episode #1	Episode #2
Episode #3	Episode #4
Episode #5	Episode #6
Episode #7	Episode #8
Episode #9	Episode #10
Episode #11	Episode #12
Episode #13	Episode #14
Episode #15	Episode #16
Episode #17	Episode #18

Season Two – Episode #1	Episode #2
Episode #3	Episode #4

Episode #5	Episode #6
Episode #7	Episode #8

SEASON THREE – Trade Secrets Saga for 2023

Episode #1	Episode #2
Episode #3	Episode #4

Coming soon: Maryland’s Culture of Corruption’s Romance with Chinese Larceny of Trade Secrets

TRADE SECRETS SCANDAL: Gambling Operation Laundering Millions in Waldorf Operated by Judge Michael White, Senior State Police Lt. George White, and Patronized by Prosecutors, Clueless Cops and Lawyers Who Should Know Better

EPISODE THREE: Maryland’s reputation for culture of corruption remains firmly in place despite intense competition from Illinois and New York

By KEN ROSSIGNOL
THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY

News and Commentary

WALDORF, MD. – In 1992, I reported on a group of gamblers showing up for poker games held at least weekly at a location in Lexington Park, Md., known as “The Cinderblock Building.”  That is about all the one-story structure located next to the Sign of the Whale Liquor store on Rt. 235 was comprised of just a building of about a thousand square feet with windows boarded up and air conditioning units placed in several of the windows. Several sources told me about the poker games leading to rather big stakes involved, and participants included men who worked at Pax River and local businessmen. 

While the legality of the card games may have been questionable at the time, it was brought to my attention that the good old boys playing cards in the Cinderblock Building were now allowing St. Mary’s County drug dealers to play in the sometimes-high stakes poker games.

The good old boys were better card players is a matter for winners and losers to report; however, I was told that the drug dealers were happy to have a release from the rigors of selling death to the druggies on the streets. Playing cards with some of the higher-ups of the community made them feel like they had finally crossed racial and class barriers and become part of the upper crust. The drug dealers didn’t have any particular excellent skills at counting cards and made them dupes for the wiser and craftier car salesmen, shopkeepers, and defense contractors would have to be part of their education as blossoming multi-level marketing gurus.

The day came that one of my many underground sources in the network of those who really count in St. Mary’s County revealed to me that it looked like the drug dealers were losing money in a big way to the good old boys.

I had a meeting with Deputy St. Mary’s County States Attorney Richard Fritz and asked him if he knew of the operation and the drug dealers apparently laundering their drug money in the card games. Fritz told me he would look into it. Soon afterward, he told me he had sent in one of his informants who said to him that St. Mary’s Sheriff Wayne Pettit and St. Mary’s County Commissioner Eddie Bailey were occasional visitors to the card game. 

Fritz told me a few weeks later that he had requested a Maryland State Police criminal investigation commander in Pikesville to infiltrate the card games in the Cinderblock Building. After several trips by the undercover police officer, the report back to Fritz told of coming up without any sighting of the Sheriff or Commissioners.

 Fritz was skeptical as Sheriff Pettit was a retired State Police Barrack Commander and believed the police agency was sandbagging him to protect one of their own. An informant of mine confirmed that hookers from Roses Place also frequented the Cinderblock Building, took a seat along a wall, hooked up with customers, and left to conduct business elsewhere.

Fritz said his informant was adamant about the two public officials’ involvement in gambling, where drug dealers were allowed and lost large sums of money. That some prominent citizens were taking home dirty money from illegal gambling operations, and thus the story was published in October of 1992, the week before the presidential election.

Since neither Pettit nor Bailey was trying to unseat President George H. W. Bush, neither official was on the ballot. Neither one had replied to questions about their involvement in the games or denied being there. They quickly hired a lawyer from Greenbelt and filed suit for $1.5 million in damages claiming they were the victims of libel.

As part of the legal process, Fritz, who by that time had quit his post as Deputy States Attorney, was summoned to give a deposition or affidavit in the lawsuit.

Fritz had quit when States Attorney Walter Dorsey had demanded that Fritz provide accounting for over $50,000 in drug funds and lying to him about having brought in the State Police for the Cinderblock Building investigation.

In the affidavit provided in response to the claim by Pettit and Bailey, Fritz confirmed that he had provided the information to me in response to my questions about the gambling operation and the attendance of drug dealers. Fritz confirmed everything in my news story was true and as a result, the two deeply offended elected officials were required under the law to drop the suit and pay their own lawyer. They got no money, no retraction, no apology, and neither one ever won another election. The unbeatable Bailey lost in 1994 to Republican Larry Jarboe, and Pettit lost the Democratic Primary for State Senator to Roy Dyson.

My lawyers were some fine folks with whom I have long been associated and eventually won my case in 2003 Rossignol v Voorhaar United States Court of Appeals. The case became a landmark First Amendment case taught in law schools across the country. It would be even better if it were taught in police academies across the nation as well. The ruling went all the way to the Supreme Court. Under the Civil Rights Act of 1983, the 1^st and 14^th Amendments said that law officers cannot retaliate against a publisher for critical news coverage and cannot act under the color of law.

The Sheriff of St. Mary’s County, ironically Fritz too, and six deputies had fanned out the night before the election and forced store clerks to sell out their entire stocks of ST. MARY’S TODAY newspapers and went to news vending machines and cleaned them out as well. Bundles of newspapers were swept up from doorsteps of stores overnight.

Therefore, voters were prevented from reading critical coverage of Fritz where he had pleaded guilty to carnal knowledge of a female child, along with two other young men. Another story revealed that Sheriff Voorhaar had assigned a female deputy to work under her alleged harasser after filing a complaint.

DEPUTIES FILMED THEMSELVES AS THEY CLEANED OUT NEWS VENDING MACHINES AND GAVE SPEECHES ABOUT NEWS COVERAGE OF THEIR EVERY DAY ACTIVITIES; FBI SEIZED THEIR VIDEOS AND NOW YOU CAN WATCH BELOW

The story from 1992, ironically thirty years ago – that is three decades and long before many readers were born, is relevant today because of the following story.

GARAGE POKER SERIES

Now, here in 2022, I am relating to my readers the story of a gambling operation of questionable legality, where prominent citizens play poker in an establishment specially built and operated for gambling and where millions of dollars are laundered through the operation even as at least a dozen law officers from various agencies participate. In fairness to them, some of the law officers I know to be honest, and a fair assessment may be that nearly all of the law officers are clueless about the money laundering. Many of these law officers are retired and do not reflect on their agencies. It is a safe bet, no pun intended, that they were looking to play cards, bet a few bucks, smoke cigars, and maybe toss down a few beers.

The Maryland State Police has been an operative and arm of various Maryland Governors and other officials such as the late Senate President Mike Miller and subject to those officials for budgetary and policy direction. That agency was headed by a Superintendent, Col. Ed Norris, who resigned when convicted of corruption in 2003.

One of the aspects of the Woodville Pines Gambling Hall is the similarities to the Cinderblock Building saga. Another is the disparities. In 1992, it was a Deputy St. Mary’s County States Attorney that told me of the participation of a law officer. In 2022, in Waldorf, the operation is operated by the brother of St. Mary’s County Deputy States Attorney Dan White – Judge Michael White, and Judge White’s son George – a senior State Police official.

And to top it off, the apparently crooked, but not yet convicted of anything- Deputy States Attorney Dan White works for the guy who provided me official investigative information about the Cinderblock Building and now employs Dan White today – St. Mary’s States Attorney Richard Fritz!

The Maryland State Police appear to be toothless in this matter and one can add clueless as well, as a number of their active and retired senior members of the agency pony up their bets at each gambling session, wager for a higher position in the Senior Points Leader Board and try for more bucks amidst the fun.

As THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY is in the business of informing readers of the conduct of officials and those who associate with them at questionable events, inquiries are being made to each person who has attended the gambling operation conducted by Judge Michael White and Maryland State Police Lieutenant George White at a building located on Woodville Road and known as Woodville Pines LLC, near Waldorf.

A guest list obtained by THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY reveals the name of former Prince Georges County Assistant States Attorney Melissa Miller, daughter of the late Maryland State Senator Mike Miller and her email address is one owned by her law firm.

Melissa specializes in criminal law, DWI and traffic law.

Her law firm website gives a reader the information that she “…clerked for PG Circuit Court Judge William McCullough and, for eight years, was an Assistant State’s Attorney serving first under then State’s Attorney and now U.S. District Court Judge Alex Williams and subsequently worked for the State’s Attorney…” that went to prison for massive corruption – Jack Johnson. Johnson was States Attorney from 1995 to 2003 when he was elected to be County Executive of Prince Georges County. But Melissa Miller’s law firm website delicately edited out Johnson’s name from her biography.

CORRUPTION NORMAL WAY OF DOING BUSINESS IN PG

 United States Attorney Rod Rosenstein said this about Jack Johnson in taking over $1.6 million in bribes, “Defendant Acted as if Corruption was the Normal Way of Doing Business” when Johnson was sentenced to prison in 2011.

Melissa Miller is currently a member of the Maryland Criminal Defense Association, Calvert County Bar Association, Prince George’s County Bar Association, and the Maryland State Bar Association.

With all that experience and horsepower behind her as well as the tutelage of her daddy, the esteemed Mike Miller, one would believe that she was a bit more circumspect and wiser about what garages she entered and what she did when she spent time there and with whom she was cavorting as the Jacks, Queens and Kings flew across the table.

The corruption scandals from Prince Georges County and some connected to those involved in the Mike Miller law firm have a long history.

The late Kim DiGiovanni, a law partner of the late Senator Mike Miller was married to Johnny DiGiovanni when he and two others were involved in the attempted murder-for-hire of a Montgomery County developer, with Prince Georges County Police Officer Ray Evans as the hitman.

Cops bust Brass Rail Owner Dickie Gatton and machine operator for illegal slot machines; Lions & Moose need to be tamed and caged

Johnny DiGiovanni was convicted of arson of a strip club in Waldorf and of operating a bawdy house that revolved around illegal gambling and prostitution.

Election 2018: Campaign Cash Continues Culture of Corruption in PG — on Angie Alsobrook’s List of those who may pay to play as she decides run for PG Exec or to replace Hoyer

Afterward, his wife divorced him and married a former Sheriff of Prince Georges’s County.

 Judge Michael White was criminally charged along with a Clinton used car dealer with multiple counts of theft and insurance fraud by the federal government. White was found not guilty, his codefendant was found guilty, and White attempted to get his job back as a State Police detective, but the agency didn’t want him back and wished to fire him. White lost an attempt to charge a superior with malicious prosecution and finally was paid $100,000 by the State of Maryland “for earned but unpaid wages” in a statement that was engineered by then Ehrlich Administration Budget Director James C. “Chip” DiPaula Jr.  Michael White, George White, and DiPaula are three of the individuals named in the Trade Secrets, Conspiracy, embezzling and money laundering action brought by Compass Marketing in federal court.

Lt. George White was selected by Senate President Mike Miller to be his personal driver and was routinely paid huge amounts of overtime, as is the case with all of the drivers in the Executive Service which assigns troopers to drive the Lt. Governor, Comptroller, Attorney General, President of the Senate and Speaker of the House. George White’s police experience is more akin to being a concierge in a resort hotel than being a cop.

Included as regular players at
the GARAGE POKER SERIES ARE:

St. Mary’s Deputy States Attorney Daniel White

Chief Judge of the Orphans Court Michael White

Former Prince Georges County Deputy States Attorney Melissa Miller

 George White’s police experience is more akin to being a concierge in a resort hotel than being a cop.

Maryland State Police Lt. George White

Chief of State Capitol Police Michael Wilson & Candidate for Calvert Sheriff

Gansler advocates dumping independent prosecutor that specializes in locking up crooked politicians!

A review of those individuals not identified by occupation does not appear that any are employed by the Charles County Sheriff’s Department while one may be a Prince Georges County firefighter, and another may be a Prince Georges County Police Officer. Each person listed above was sent an email to the email address used in the Garage Poker Series and requested to comment on their participation.

Crooked Maryland Politicians / Former Maryland Delegate Michael Vaughn Convicted of Federal Corruption Charges for Taking Bribes for Vote on Liquor Bills

The Case of The Pampered Home Invader – THE CRAVEN

 The story of how an armed intruder was chauffeured by St. Mary’s Sheriff’s Deputies back to his creekfront lair where he keeps stolen property after he was held at gunpoint by the victim of his attempted armed home invasion who was awaiting police to answer the 911 call for help