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SEASON TWO

SEASON THREE – Trade Secrets Saga for 2023

SHOCKING LEGAL ENTANGLEMENT: Condo Office Owned Jointly by Deputy States Attorney Daniel White and Defense Attorney Daniel Slade

BY KEN ROSSIGNOL
THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY

NEWS ANALYSIS

LEONARDTOWN, MD – The States Attorney of St. Mary’s County, Richard Fritz, fosters numerous ways for criminal and traffic offenders to buy their way out of criminal charges in various methods, including plea deals, nolle prose (dropping charges), Stet Dockets, payment to the Project Graduation Fund and payments to the favorite charity of Deputy States Attorney Daniel White. One of the most glaring ethical entanglements is the financial relationship between defense attorney Daniel A. M. Slade and Deputy States Attorney Daniel White. According to court records and records of the State of Maryland, both men are partners in a unit in the condo office building located directly across the street from the St. Mary’s County Circuit Courthouse.

Almost weekly, miscreants facing various drug and DUI charges engage Daniel Slade to represent them in court. Typically, the engagement will only be accomplished if and when the suspect forks over from $5,000 to $15,000 to get Slade on the case.

Routinely, Slade enters his appearance with the District Court as the attorney for the defendant. At that point, Slade then contacts the prosecutor assigned to the case or calls Fritz or White to make a plea deal.

Daniel Slade and Daniel White are both members of Leonardtown Investments LLC. Daniel Slade is also the registered agent for the entity. Slade signed the documents purchasing the condo law office on Courthouse Drive from Joseph Mitchell and his wife as a member of the Leonardtown Investments LLC.

The Leonardtown Investments LLC is a defendant in the federal complaint filed against Daniel White, his brother Judge Michael White, Assistant United States Attorney Julie White, Maryland State Police Forestville Barrack Commander Lt. George White, former Ehrlich Administration Chief of Staff James “Chip” DiPaula, Patrick Miller, Flywheel and a UK firm for allegations including the embezzlement of millions of dollars, stolen trade secrets, theft and other crimes including forgery and fraud.

Leonardtown Investments LLC also owned a property in Breton Bay, a $400,000 home in which Julie White resided for a portion of the fourteen years she worked as an Assistant States Attorney for Richard Fritz. He has filed for election to another term in office in 2022. 

When Daniel Slade takes a case, for which he has a strong reputation of seldom having to try a case in court, as he is the plea dealer with inside connections with the prosecutors, he can button up the charges for his client with confidence.

DANIEL A. M. SLADE HAS AN IMPRESSIVE RECORD OF MAKING PLEA DEALS WITH ST. MARY’S STATES ATTORNEYS OFFICE

SELECTED CASES OF DANIEL A. M. SLADE – WHO HAS THE MIDAS TOUCH!

RICHARD STEVEN NELSON WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR HARVESTING OYSTERS FROM POLLUTED WATERS OF ST. MARY’S RIVER

That was the headline in 2019. The following was the story in THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY:

LEONARDTOWN, MD. – Do you like a dose of a contagious disease with your oysters?

Richard Steven Nelson, of 45950 Bates Road, Great Mills, Md., hired Leonardtown attorney Dan Slade to make a plea deal for him when NRP Officer Corey Thorne nabbed him for catching oysters over the pollution line in an area closed to the harvesting of oysters by the Maryland Department of the Environment.

The taking of oysters from the banned areas was implemented due to rising bacteria levels that can cause severe illness and death.

Where were your oysters caught?

On May 6, 2019, Slade and St. Mary’s States Attorney agreed in District Court in a plea deal for a verdict of Probation Before Judgement and unsupervised probation for two years.

BLEW GOT 30 DAYS IN A PLEA DEAL WITH DANIEL SLADE ON ONE DWI RAP: ZERO TIME FROM ANOTHER

Julie Ann Blew was arrested for DWI-Drugs by Maryland Trooper S. Ditoto on September 16, 2016, as she operated a 2015 Ford on Md. Rt. 235, south of Rt. 5, not far from where she eventually died. In a plea deal with St. Mary’s States Attorney Richard Fritz and her attorney Daniel A. M. Slade, she entered a guilty plea on March 10, 2017. THE DEAL: Blew was given a verdict of Probation Before Judgement and 30 days in the slammer, with ALL of the jail time suspended and a fine of $200.00.

Julie Ann Blew was charged by Maryland Trooper Bauer on March 26, 2017, as she operated a 2015 Ford on Md. Rt. 235 at MacArthur Blvd, at California, Md., with driving while impaired by drugs. In a plea deal with St. Mary’s States Attorney, Blew entered a guilty plea. THE DEAL: Blew was sentenced to 180 days in the St. Mary’s County Jail with all but 30 days suspended, with two years of supervised probation. Court records show that Blew blew her probation on June 19, 2019.

PLEA DEAL FOR DWI WITH
ATTORNEY DAN SLADE
LETS BAD GREG RIDE AGAIN

MECHANICSVILLE, MD. Greg Gagnon would have been in jail for a long time were he anyone else. At least that’s the way it might be seen when a habitual drunk driver fights the cops and always winds up with an easy deal in court. Now Gagnon has been busted for DUI again.

The OUTCOME of these charges for BAD GREG

On a charge of driving a vehicle without an ignition interlock as required under the terms of a previous plea deal with St. Mary’s States Attorney’s Office, Gregory B. Gagnon hired Leonardtown Attorney Daniel Slade to represent him on that charge and others as a result of being arrested by Maryland State Trooper Mulhearn on April 10, 2017. In a plea deal with Fritz, the charge was dropped on August 4, 2017. Gagnon pleaded guilty to the DWI charge as part of the plea deal. THE DEAL:  In return for the guilty plea, meaning that the States Attorney was relieved of the burden of conducting a trial, Gagnon, a serial drunk driver, was sentenced to 60 days in jail with 30 days suspended. The plea deal also calls for probation of eighteen months. A fine of $57.50 was also imposed. Related charges of driving and violating a license restriction, negligent driving, and failing to control his speed to avoid a collision were all dropped as part of the deal.

The Plea Deal: Gagnon, a serial drunk driver, was sentenced to 60 days in jail with 30 days suspended.

On April 10, 2017, at 8:38 pm, Gregory Bertrand Gagnon of 28900 Shannon Court, Mechanicsville, Md., was stopped at Rt. 5 and Rt. 249 in Callaway, Md., by Maryland State Trooper Mulhearn. After a field sobriety test, Gagnon was arrested for DUI / DWI. Gagnon was operating a 2003 GMC. After being jailed at the Hotel St. Mary’s, Gagnon was released the next day when he posted bond. He will face trial in St. Mary’s District Court on May 26, 2017, unless he requests a jury trial in Circuit Court.

On June 22, 2016, Gagnon was cited for multiple traffic violations, including driving on a suspended out-of-state license, using a cell phone, driving without a license while revoked. On October 26, 2016, all of the charges were dropped in St. Mary’s District Court by St. Mary’s States Attorney.

On Saturday, June 28, 2014, at 11:42 pm, Tpr. E. Krenik stopped with a disabled motorcycle on Route 234 and Route 242. Tpr. Krenik initiated Standardized Field Sobriety Tests on the driver, Gregory Bertrand Gagnon, 49, of Mechanicsville.

During the field sobriety tests, Gagnon began to get disorderly. Gagnon was placed under arrest, and a brief struggle ensued. Cpl O’Connor arrived on the scene and used an agency-issued stun gun on him with no effect.

Tpr. Krenik and assisting officers subdued Gagnon and transported him to St. Mary’s Hospital for medical treatment. Gagnon was then transported to the St. Mary’s County Jail and charged with Second Degree Assault to a Law Enforcement Officer, Resisting Arrest, Failure to Obey a Lawful Order, Disorderly Conduct, Malicious Destruction of Property Greater than $1000, and DUI. He was held pending a bond review with the District Court Commissioner.

 In St. Mary’s Circuit Court on December 5, 2014, St. Mary’s States Attorney struck a plea deal with Gagnon’s attorney, Dan Slade, who dropped all 14 counts of the indictment and accepted a guilty plea to DUI. THE DEAL: One year in jail with all of the time served in the local jail instead of the state prison. None of the time in jail was suspended, according to court records. Work release and alcohol treatment were authorized in the deal.

Deed and Deed of Trust of Leonardtown Investments LLC purchase of Office Condo from Joseph Mitchell & Elizabeth Sherman