WALDORF, MD. – Maryland Delegate “Jay” Jewel Jacobia Walker, 48, (DOB 01/24/1972) of 11808 Maher Drive, Fort Washington, Md., was arrested for DWI (Driving while intoxicated by alcohol) as he operated a 2013 Ford on U. S. Rt. 301 in front of the Tinder Box Lounge in Waldorf. Politicians in Maryland who are elected to the Maryland House of Delegates and the Maryland Senate are given the privilege to have official General Assembly license plates on their vehicles, and Walker has opted in for that perc as a state legislator, as court records reveal that Walker’s plate was a vanity plate “HOUSEDEL”.
Walker was arrested by Charles County Sheriff’s Department Patrol Officer Brandon Foster on March 1, 2020, at 12:53, which is in the magic window of prime time for drunk driving arrests from 11 pm to 4 am and also is a time frame in which many DUI deaths occur as a result of impaired drivers killing innocent motorists, which is exactly what Walker could have accomplished. At least the taxpayers of Maryland won’t have to worry about springing for Walker’s mouthpiece in District Court for Charles County on April 16, 2020, as Walker declined a free attorney from the public defender’s office and was released from the Charles County Jail on his own recognizance. Court records show that C.T. Wilson is Walker’s attorney.
Walker was elected in 2006 to the Maryland House of Delegates and was sworn in on Jan. 10, 2007. Being arrested for DWI is a proud tradition for Maryland legislators of both political parties with the then House of Delegates Majority Leader Kumar Barve arrested and convicted of DWI as well as Republican Delegate Donald Dwyer in a driving while impaired incident.
Prince George’s Police Officer Admitted that He Erased and Reset His Cell Phone as Federal Agents Arrived to Execute a Search Warrant at His Residence
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman sentenced Edward Scott Finn, age 48, of Dunkirk, Maryland, today to 16 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, for a tax evasion charge. Finn is a former Lieutenant with the Prince George’s County Police Department and owned and operated Edward Finn Inc. (EFI), a private company. Judge Boardman also ordered Finn to pay restitution in the full amount of the loss, $367,765.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge Kareem A. Carter of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron said, “Law enforcement officers are not above the law and we will hold them accountable—as we would anyone—for their criminal actions.”
“To maintain faith in our nation’s tax system, all Americans, including those in positions of public trust, must be held accountable for paying their fair share,” said Kareem A. Carter, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Washington D.C. Field Office. “IRS Criminal Investigation will continue to investigate those who intentionally conceal income and file false returns.”
“Despite Finn’s position of trust as an officer of the law, he lied and stole from the government. He used his Secondary Law Enforcement Employment (SLEE) to propel his greed,” said Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the FBI Baltimore Field Office. “Today’s sentence articulates financial crimes do not pay.”
According to his plea agreement and other court documents, from approximately December 26, 1995, to April 26, 2021, Finn was a member of the Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD). Members of the PGPD were allowed to work part-time outside employment in addition to their full-time duties, known as Secondary Law Enforcement Employment (SLEE). According to the plea agreement and court documents, from 2014 to 2021, Finn used EFI and employed off-duty law enforcement officers to provide security services to apartment complexes and other businesses, primarily in Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties, to manage and operate his SLEE business.
Finn admitted that he underreported a total of more than $1.3 million of EFI income on his 2014 through 2019 individual income tax returns. During that time frame, Finn deposited checks payable to EFI into personal bank accounts or non-EFI bank accounts over which Finn had signature authority. Finn also created false business expenses to lower his tax due by writing checks to relatives and friends for purported services performed; and used business funds to purchase a boat, a car, and other items for his personal use. This underreported income resulted in a total tax loss to the government of $367,765.
Further, Finn admitted that on April 22, 2021, as federal agents announced their presence at his front door to execute a search warrant on his residence, Finn initiated the erasure and resetting of his cell phone. Finn then opened the front door to his residence and law enforcement recovered the phone in the master bedroom.
Greenbelt, Maryland – United States District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced the former owner of a Prince George’s County liquor store, Shin Ja Lee, age 56, of Highland, Maryland, to twelve months and one day in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for bribery, in a scheme involving alcoholic beverage licenses in Prince George’s County, Maryland. The defendant was also ordered to forfeit $242,945.43 and to pay an additional fine of $50,000.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Acting Special Agent in Charge Kelly R. Jackson of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation; and Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department.
According to her plea agreement and other court documents, Lee was the owner of Palmer Liquor Store and the resident agent of Multi-Bil, Inc. Together with David Son, a former Commissioner on the Prince George’s County Board of License Commissioners (“Liquor Board”), and Young Paig, the former owner of Central Avenue Restaurant & Liquor Store in Prince George’s County, Lee paid bribe payments to two then-Maryland State Delegates, William Alberto Campos-Escobar (“Will Campos”) and Michael Vaughn. The bribes were in exchange for obtaining passage of legislation that permitted certain liquor stores in the County to sell liquor on Sundays (“Sunday Sales Bill”).
Lee participated in bribe payments on five separate occasions in 2015 and 2016. For example, on April 22, 2015, after the passage of the legislation, Son arranged a lunch between Campos, Paig, and Lee. A lobbyist and attorney, Matthew Gorman, also attended. During the lunch, Son told Campos to meet Paig in the men’s bathroom, saying that Paig was “going to hook you up.” In the men’s bathroom, Paig handed Campos an envelope containing a total of $4,000 cash, which constituted a bribe from Son, Paig, Lee, and Gorman. Later that same day, Son, Paig, and Lee made a cash bribe payment to Delegate Vaughn.
Lee and Paig subsequently talked to Son about getting beneficial legislation introduced related to the Sunday Sales bill and indicated that they would be willing to pay $50,000 to make that happen. Son spoke with Delegate Vaughn, who agreed to introduce additional legislation in the 2016 legislative session. On November 10, 2015, Son arranged for Paig and Lee to meet with Vaughn so they could make a “down payment.”
Delegate Vaughn deposited $4,000 cash bribe in his bank account while the FBI watched
After the meeting, law enforcement observed Paig and Vaughn get into Vaughn’s car, while Lee and Son waited in the parking lot. Shortly after Paig got out of the car, Vaughn drove directly to a bank in the same shopping center. Bank surveillance video shows Vaughn pulling a stack of cash out of his right pocket and handing it to the teller, and then doing the same from his left pocket. Bank records show that Vaughn deposited a total of $4,000.
Paig pleaded guilty to bribery and was sentenced to 41 months in prison. Campos pleaded guilty to conspiracy and bribery and was sentenced to 54 months in prison. Son pleaded guilty to conspiracy, bribery, and obstruction of justice and was sentenced to 60 months in prison. Gorman pleaded guilty and also is pending sentencing. Delegate Vaughn was convicted of bribery and conspiracy at a trial that concluded in March 2018, and is pending sentencing.
Maryland State Delegate And County Councilman Will Campos Sentenced To More Than Four Years In Prison For Participation In Bribery Scheme
Greenbelt, Maryland – United States District Judge Paula Xinis on May 18, 2018, sentenced William Alberto Campos-Escobar (a/k/a “Will Campos”), age 43, of Hyattsville, Maryland, to 54 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy and bribery in relation to a scheme to use County funds to obtain bribe payments. In addition, Judge Xinis ordered Campos to pay $340,000 in restitution.
In a related matter, Judge Xinis sentenced Young Jung Paig, age 63, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, to 41 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Judge Xinis also ordered Paig to forfeit $265,000.
The sentences were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Thomas Jankowski of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office; and Chief Henry Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department.
Campos held the elected position of Prince George’s County Councilman, representing District 2, from November 2004 through approximately November 2014. As an elected County Councilman, Campos was authorized to act on behalf of, and serve as the representative to, the County government. In November 2014, Campos was elected as a Delegate to the Maryland General Assembly, representing District 47B.
Paig was the resident agent of Weeping Willow, Inc., and the owner of Central Avenue Restaurant & Liquor Store in Seat Pleasant, Maryland.
As described in his plea agreement and other court records, then-County Councilman Campos accepted bribes from business owners and others, often but not always facilitated by David Dae Sok Son, a Commissioner on the Prince George’s County Board of License Commissioners.
For example, during a meeting on April 4, 2014, Son informed an FBI Confidential Human Source (“CHS”) that Campos needed $10,000 to pay an expense related to Campos’s campaign for Maryland State Delegate. Son told the CHS that Son had spoken with Campos about the CHS giving cash to Campos in exchange for Campos arranging for another County grant to be awarded to a non-profit organization selected by the CHS.
On or about April 9, 2014, Son told the CHS that Son had told Campos to “hook [the CHS] up” with the developer of a new business in the County, so that the developer would retain the CHS’s business services. Son explained to the CHS that the business owed Campos, because Campos had obtained a tax benefit for the business. Son and the CHS then walked to the coffee shop’s parking lot, where the CHS’s vehicle was located. The CHS then retrieved $3,000 in U.S. currency from the CHS’s vehicle. The same day, Son gave Campos the $3,000 in U.S. currency that Son had received from the CHS. And later that day, Campos sent a text message to the CHS that stated, “I owe you big time my man.”
In a related matter, Paig made repeated bribe payments to Campos and Maryland State Delegate Michael Vaughn in relation to a successful attempt to pass legislation permitting certain liquor stores in Prince George’s County to sell alcohol on Sundays. Son also facilitated these bribe payments from Paig. Other convicted individuals in this related matter include Shin Ja Lee, a liquor store owner, and Matthew Gorman, an attorney and lobbyist.
Delegate Vaughn was convicted of bribery and conspiracy at a trial that concluded in March 2018, and is pending sentencing. Son, Lee, and Gorman have all pleaded guilty and are pending sentencing.
Sock it to Her
What Can Go Wrong with O'Malley Running Social Security?
