Mayor of Baltimore charged with perjury, corruption
posted at 5:15 pm on January 9, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
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Move over, Kwame Kilpatrick — you’ve got company among disgraced big-city mayors. Sheila Dixon got indicted today on twelve felony counts, including perjury, theft, and misconduct in office. Maryland state prosecutors accused the Baltimore Democrat of a particularly heinous theft of donated gift cards intended for the poor:
Mayor Sheila Dixon was indicted Friday on charges that she accepted illegal gifts during her time as mayor and City Council president, including travel, fur coats and gift cards intended for the poor that she allegedly used instead for a holiday shopping spree.
A grand jury indicted Dixon on 12 counts, including four counts of perjury and two counts of theft over $500. She was also charged with theft under $500, fraudulent misappropriation by a fiduciary and misconduct in office.
The State Prosecutor’s Office, which has been investigating corruption at City Hall for nearly three years, said Dixon received holiday gift cards for four years from several people. Prosecutors said the gift cards were to be distributed to needy families, but were instead used by Dixon to buy electronics _ including an Xbox, a PlayStation 2 and a camcorder _ clothes and other merchandise and also handed out to members of her staff.
Most of the charges involve her relationship with a developer, Ronald Lipscomb, and her acceptance of thousands of dollars in gifts without disclosing them on her records. She allegedly used a city employee to launder $4,000 from Lipscomb to fund a shopping spree. Dixon and Lipscomb conducted an affair with each other while married to others, and at the same time, Lipscomb’s company did business with the city, receiving tax breaks from Baltimore for some of their projects.
The worst allegations involve the gift cards. Dixon allegedly received several of these cards, which were given to her to pass along to needy people. Instead, Dixon allegedly decided that charity begins at home and used them as gifts for friends and family, or for herself. When her home was searched, several of the cards were found still unused by Dixon, given to her by Lipscomb, who apparently designated them as a charitable donation. Another developer gave her 20 such Best Buy cards, worth $25 each, and Dixon used 19 of them for herself.
Dixon never mentioned the gift cards on her disclosure statements. Since those get signed under oath, her signatures on those forms with the omissions of the cards would amount to perjury. That would almost certainly bring serious prison time, if Dixon gets convicted — and it’s hard to imagine that she will get much sympathy from a jury after stealing gift cards from the poor.
For Name That Party aficianados, the Washington Post does indeed mention that Dixon is a Democrat, in the sixth paragraph of the story.
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typical
rob verdi on January 9, 2009 at 5:17 PM
Is there anyone in local/state politics that’s clean?
baldilocks on January 9, 2009 at 5:18 PM
the democrat is one vast influence pedaling deal.
rob verdi on January 9, 2009 at 5:19 PM
Eve Fairbanks of TNR says it doesn’t matter Democrats are corrupt because most of them are state and local, so I guess I should not care.
Topsecretk9 on January 9, 2009 at 5:20 PM
Ah, my old stomping grounds. Bolly-more has had its own share of nepotism and graft over the years, Hun.
Y-not on January 9, 2009 at 5:20 PM
Have they checked her freezer yet?
L
letget on January 9, 2009 at 5:22 PM
And since theyw ere intended for homeless and needy she decided she needed them more.
William “cold cash” Jefferson pushed donated SUV for Katrina victims to his sister ’s non-profit in which she doled out the SUV’s to her family members and herself.
The party that cares more. Heh.
Topsecretk9 on January 9, 2009 at 5:22 PM
Apparently she attended the Milorad R. Blagojevich School of Ethics.
amerpundit on January 9, 2009 at 5:24 PM
Yeah. How come I imagine the WaPo ledes for Ted Stevens were among the lines of
“Republican Senator Ted Stevens of mostly Republican Alaska, the senior Republican in the Republican caucaus of Republicans, and who was the Republican President Pro Tem in the Republican-controlled 108th congress, was found guilty of bribery. He guiltily avoided any interviews while taking the guilty way out of the Senate…”
apollyonbob on January 9, 2009 at 5:25 PM
I wonder it it was ever different.
BL@KBIRD on January 9, 2009 at 5:26 PM
No.
VolMagic on January 9, 2009 at 5:27 PM
if not tit
BL@KBIRD on January 9, 2009 at 5:27 PM
I think you are being too restrictive – I would leave out the ‘local/state’ and repeat the question. Seriously, it has been known for longer than this country has existed that politics is corrupt. Our goal is not to find honest ones, but to limit their areas of control, and thereby their scope of corruption.
Vashta.Nerada on January 9, 2009 at 5:27 PM
Where’s the sex?
alex342 on January 9, 2009 at 5:27 PM
How many millions of years before an actual trail? Why do these things take so long?
Cindy Munford on January 9, 2009 at 5:27 PM
Oh, sorry.
alex342 on January 9, 2009 at 5:28 PM
ahem
yo on January 9, 2009 at 5:28 PM
Seeing as there are only about 3 1/2 Republican blacks in politics, I think most people know when they see a black politician it is a democrat…of course it is easy to identify most democrat politicians, since most have their arresting mug shots posted.
right2bright on January 9, 2009 at 5:28 PM
Ooh – 6th paragraph. Nice.
The Democrap Party is running an urban-America kleptocracy. Get elected by city minorities and limousine liberals, then get jobs for everyone you know, and city contracts for everyone who supported your campaign, and steal the remainder of the voters blind.
Jaibones on January 9, 2009 at 5:30 PM
Humph…
next.
upinak on January 9, 2009 at 5:31 PM
Yeah, wth? She’s kinda cute.
Jaibones on January 9, 2009 at 5:31 PM
The Baltimore Sun’s write-up had it in the 3rd paragraph. I was shocked.
It's Vintage, Duh on January 9, 2009 at 5:33 PM
Sheila Dixon is nominated Best Buy-er.
The Maryland prosecutor joins Patrick Fitzgerald on Obama’s “Must Fire” list.
Now here’s a seat Michael Steele should run for…
Steve Z on January 9, 2009 at 5:34 PM
Investigations and indictemnts of Democrats and bribery and kickbacks in
El Paso, Texas
New Jersy
Pennsylvania
New Mexico
New York
Detroit
Ohio
Illinois
Louisanna
Have I missed any?
Topsecretk9 on January 9, 2009 at 5:34 PM
There it is.
James on January 9, 2009 at 5:36 PM
Heh. Heh. Heh. I’d better quit, before I fall out of my chair.
It was only a matter of time, really. Anyone who’s surprised must either be from really far away, or a Dem. Now, if only they could get rid of the former mayor-now-governor O’Malley the Alley Cat. Then, I’d be happy to move back there. : )
Anna on January 9, 2009 at 5:37 PM
Aw, her campaign website has a picture of her speaking at a Baltimore Obama Campaign Rally.
amerpundit on January 9, 2009 at 5:38 PM
AW! I wanna play!
Kini on January 9, 2009 at 5:39 PM
What are these people thinking? Have they no shame, conscience, ethics?
Guess my nickname should be Pollyanna.
tru2tx on January 9, 2009 at 5:40 PM
Yep – you missed Tennessee.
sanguine1 on January 9, 2009 at 5:41 PM
Is anyone else here noticing that gift cards are like the 21st Century way to launder money?
HockeyTemper on January 9, 2009 at 5:42 PM
it’s raaaaaaacist whitey trying to bring a sista down, thats all this is ……. in 5, 4 , 3, 2, 1
Mercy4Me on January 9, 2009 at 5:42 PM
Gee, Ed. This seems so judgmental and raaacist. Sorry to see you going there. Surely some honkey made her do it.
I was so excited about this new, post-racial world with all the wonderful expectations – that haven’t materialized. Is the magic day Jan. 20? I thought it would have been better after Nov. 4.
And I thought Granny-Nanny Pelosi was going to do something about the “Culture of Corruption!” Wassup with that blinky-eyed beotch?
/still waiting for the check for my mortgage and gas
Cody1991 on January 9, 2009 at 5:43 PM
The thing that I see from this is minority officials over represented in criminal investigations and convictions and that they are exclusively democrat.
This doesn’t mean minorities are more crime prone in theses positions of power but that democrats wont let a minority near any such position unless they are already corrupt and thus easily manipulated.
Beto Ochoa on January 9, 2009 at 5:44 PM
Heartache
Wii and Wii Fit were too hard to find. Had to settle for a PS2.
thomashton on January 9, 2009 at 5:45 PM
To think this is the same politcal machine that spawned Nancy Piglosi. I’m SHOCKED!
It is so hard to give a bad name to Bodymore, Murderland.
Laura in Maryland on January 9, 2009 at 5:45 PM
Doesn’t it make you proud? The scum just keeps floating to the top of the toilet bowl.
rplat on January 9, 2009 at 5:45 PM
To step back in time,isn’t this the same city that gave Art Modell a brand new stadium and other perks for next to nothing in exchange for a football team?Our former Cleveland Browns?
Hell Art was a greedy SOB.
Remember she’s innocent till proven guilty,and charity starts in HER home.
Neal4007 on January 9, 2009 at 5:46 PM
Let’s see :
Corrupt ? Check
Adulterer ? Check
Liar ? Check
Democrat ? Check
Anyone else detecting a pattern here lately?
DeweyWins on January 9, 2009 at 5:47 PM
Gift cards??? What a piker.
If I had the mayor’s chair in a medium-sized city, no city contractor would get away with buying me off for chump change like gift cards. I’d have some ambition, like Gov. Blago.
Cicero43 on January 9, 2009 at 5:48 PM
Point taken. :/
baldilocks on January 9, 2009 at 5:49 PM
Oh come on now! Baltimore is the largest city in the ‘Free to be Democrat or else’ State of Maryland! The last Republican that held an office higher than Second Assistant Deputy Dogcatcher was Harry Hughes who was County Executive before Barbara ‘Little Senator’ Mikulski.
Didn’t everyone know that?
SeniorD on January 9, 2009 at 5:51 PM
Beto Ochoa on January 9, 2009 at 5:44 PM
Interesting take. That would explain alot.
tru2tx on January 9, 2009 at 5:51 PM
thomasaur on January 9, 2009 at 5:56 PM
Ahh,..this isn’t a shocker at all,..the real fun comes when she pulls out the race card, pardon from Barry, blames whitey, rides in the back of a bronco, refuses to step down, steps down and comes back in two years : o )
christene on January 9, 2009 at 5:57 PM
You mean the Teflon Leprechaun? There were definitely shenanigans going on while he was mayor. One of his (many!) police commissioners was fired under highly suspicious circumstances, and there was an investigation. He managed to kill it off once he became governor.
I’m really sorry Erlich isn’t governor, still. He definitely got caught up in the wave of Bush/Republican revulsion that swept the nation in ‘06. O’Malley doesn’t deserve to be mayor of Highlandtown, much less governor of Maryland.
nukemhill on January 9, 2009 at 5:58 PM
Boston. Google Diane Wilkerson (state rep) & Chuck Turner (Boston City Councilor).
beancounter on January 9, 2009 at 6:00 PM
This is obviously a racist article. Racist racist racist.
cannonball on January 9, 2009 at 6:00 PM
And no, that ain’t cute. That’s fugly.
nukemhill on January 9, 2009 at 6:00 PM
No, a republican could never get elected in Baltimore City. The state is absurdly liberal, and The City is inhabited by mostly welfare recipients and a few guilty white liberals in a couple of gentrified neighborhoods. No way on any republican, especially not someone considered to be an uncle tom or worse.
I love Steele and hope he flourishes in national poliltics.
Laura in Maryland on January 9, 2009 at 6:00 PM
And yet these people keep getting elected–says something about the voters doesn’t it.
americanpatriot on January 9, 2009 at 6:01 PM
El Paso, Texas
New Jersy
Pennsylvania
New Mexico
New York
Detroit
Ohio
Illinois
Louisiana
Tennessee
Massachusetts
Topsecretk9 on January 9, 2009 at 6:02 PM
I always think of the alley cat, because of O’Malley’s band. Dude is neck-deep in shenanigans, and yeah, I miss Erlich. I met his wife, she’s a classy lady too. My husband and his family are native Marylanders – and having grown up next door, it pains me to see the state in the hands of these people.
Anna on January 9, 2009 at 6:02 PM
You tell ‘em, Hon!
Laura in Maryland on January 9, 2009 at 6:02 PM
This could have been attributed to the mayor of Bumpuck, Arkansas- (pop. 141) but if it had been a REPUBLICAN, it would have been front page as well as a great big scarlet “R” next to her name, everytime it was printed!! I sooooooo despise the media.
anniekc on January 9, 2009 at 6:02 PM
You’re completely right about that. Steele’s a good man, and doesn’t need to waste his time running for any office in that state. Maryland doesn’t deserve him.
Anna on January 9, 2009 at 6:03 PM
Topsecretk9 on January 9, 2009 at 6:02 PM
Oh, heck. Just go for all 57 states! ;)
Cody1991 on January 9, 2009 at 6:05 PM
I thought I may have seen her at Payless looking to use a giftcard for shoes to wear to an inaugural ball. This does not surprise me.
grdred944 on January 9, 2009 at 6:05 PM
One thing we’ll never see on nightly news..metrics score cards for mayors and governors.
Speakup on January 9, 2009 at 6:12 PM
Whoa, baby!
The hits just keep on coming! Maybe this is why Obama is keeping Republicans on–he’s running out of unindicted Dems!
PattyJ on January 9, 2009 at 6:13 PM
Wow! She was actually charged. That is progress for Maryland. Politics has been totally corrupt there for longer than I have been alive. I lived in Maryland for 30 years and it is just a way of life there. From Baltimore to Annapolis to the DC suburbs Democrat corruption is on parade and since they are all Democrats it’s no big deal. It is Nancy Pelosi’s old stomping grounds as her father was also mayor of Baltimore. This was back in the 40’s. I am sure the corruption was in full swing back then, too. We moved from there because our vote never counted.
BetseyRoss on January 9, 2009 at 6:14 PM
What’s with all this corruption? Could it be that perhaps politicians are the most power-hungry people (hence why they’re politicians), and therefore not really worthy of our trust and money? No, never…
/me slaps big government idiots
MattMacD on January 9, 2009 at 6:17 PM
Michelle Malkin noted Race crimes in Baltimore: Bus beating victim under witness protection; noose hoax fallout
All while Mayor Sheila Dixon(D) ignored:
DANEgerus on January 9, 2009 at 6:19 PM
To the Oscar Meyer standard:
tree hugging sister on January 9, 2009 at 6:20 PM
Carcetti for mayor!
cy13 on January 9, 2009 at 6:21 PM
ABCD = Another Black Corrupt Democrat
TheMightyQuinn on January 9, 2009 at 6:26 PM
Well, as far as the gift cards go, everyone knows that Democrats believe that charity starts at home.
GarandFan on January 9, 2009 at 6:27 PM
cy13 on January 9, 2009 at 6:21 PM
Heh. I was thinking about The Wire when I read this, too
Dead Hand Control on January 9, 2009 at 6:27 PM
Cut the lady a little slack–Dimocrats don’t know any better. At least she didn’t “take a wide stance” and do “Morse Code toe tapping” in the bathroom stall like disgraced Republican Larry Craig did.
***
I think she would be good as an ethics teacher in the Chicago / Illinois State governments.
***
John Bibb
rocketman on January 9, 2009 at 6:31 PM
Daddy Pelosi must be rolling…
/
Christien on January 9, 2009 at 6:37 PM
“Democracy is the belief that the common man knows what he wants and deserves to get it good and hard.” — H.L. Mencken
Paul_in_NJ on January 9, 2009 at 6:37 PM
Don’t blame the video games!
JellyToast on January 9, 2009 at 6:37 PM
How many Democrat scandals is that now? Just in the last six months?
CookeyD on January 9, 2009 at 6:38 PM
You just don’t give gift cards away for nothing, they’re f@#*ing golden!
All she needs is helmet hair and poetry.
Christien on January 9, 2009 at 6:41 PM
At least the “toe tapping” toes belong to Craig, not the tax payers. : o )..still looking for the law against it.
2008 was the year to go after Republicans for ANY LITTLE ACT,..and cover up EVERY act by Democrats.
christene on January 9, 2009 at 6:43 PM
Ed Morrissey,
You honesty think a Baltimore jury will convict her?
How well do you know baltimore?
A jury here will never convict her!
never happen – trust me.
winged on January 9, 2009 at 6:44 PM
HA HA More black on black crime.
You would think after seeing blacks in political power in Africa people would think before thay vote.
Rick007 on January 9, 2009 at 6:44 PM
I guess integrity is something to display only when you think people might be watching. You won’t catch Barry with any gift cards, why would he when John Galt’s credit cards can buy thousands of ebooks authored by the great man.
Mark30339 on January 9, 2009 at 6:56 PM
Another stunning example of the politically unaffiliated culture of corruption. Seems to be a lot of these unaffiliated political types getting into trouble over the last couple of years.
If only we could somehow penetrate the veil of secrecy surrounding their party affiliation. Anyone know if they’re Whigs or Federalists?
Sounds like an investigative job for Andrew “Power Glutes” Sullivan.
moxie_neanderthal on January 9, 2009 at 7:08 PM
As I’ve written too many times before, the Left (and some RINOs) assume that to be elected to public office, that delivers “increased status” and by that, they’re then free to use and abuse at will, whatever.
It’s the “drunken” syndrome of certain personality types gaining public office. Overnight, they’re assuming they are royal, titled, “the authority” without any rules, everything is theirs to use, abuse, own, sell, horde and consume.
This is seen time and time and time again when certain people are elected. I’m not going to be shocking anyone by stating the fact that many times, these folks are black or brown. Something about them assuming they’ve moved to the hill or whatnot…
Sorry, not racist, just saying, these are the facts of what is seen today. It’s not racist so much as it’s a cultural affect, some sort of mentality that emerges from cultures within or society.
S on January 9, 2009 at 7:08 PM
And in certain cultures, it is “cool” to do crime.
THAT’s what I’m saying. There’s a sense of entitlement, society owes them, they are due the extras.
S on January 9, 2009 at 7:10 PM
I have to agree with you “S”…………….
………… it’s almost like a “Reparation Syndrome” as in Fanny Mae and Freddy Mac.
Seven Percent Solution on January 9, 2009 at 7:13 PM
Dixon is also a big supporter of Obama, and he made a big deal out of her endorsement
Change you can go to jail on.
Isn’t it ironic how it is cool that Dixon is a working mother, but, for Palin it was a travesty?
William Teach on January 9, 2009 at 7:24 PM
THAT’s what I’m saying. There’s a sense of entitlement, society owes them, they are due the extras.
S on January 9, 2009 at 7:10 PM
There’s a storm brewing, for sure.
Cody1991 on January 9, 2009 at 7:29 PM
Gee, if it were Republican it would be the banner headline and every paragraph would have ‘disgraced Republican’ next to it. But at least they had at least one sentence of party affiliation. I am waiting to see if Obama got a gift card from that mayor. That would be sweet. Yes, the Mayor is a trail blazer (blazing orange jumpsuit, first female Mayor of Baltimore to be sent to hoosegow).
eaglewingz08 on January 9, 2009 at 7:32 PM
So corrupt politicians here who happen to be black are more similar to those in Africa because of their race than they are to corrupt politicians in America, like Duke Cunningham?
What exactly makes blacks more corrupt? Is it the melanin or the hair?
The Race Card on January 9, 2009 at 7:32 PM
Who gives stuff to the mayor to pass on to poor people? If you really wanted to help the poor, wouldn’t you go to a homeless shelter or, (at least if you are a secularist) some social services agency? Unless there is some hidden factor that I am not seeing, I question the sincerity of the folks who made these “donations”. Why are they not (per the article) being investigated for bribery? Or would it just be too hard to prove?
JackOfClubs on January 9, 2009 at 7:39 PM
If America stop voting for Blacks, that would end political corruption.
By that logic not voting for whites would have ended slavery, Jim Crow, lynching and other overt forms of sanctioned bigotry. Stupid.
The Race Card on January 9, 2009 at 7:39 PM
I heard about this today on our local news station… Once again, they never mentioned the little fact that this loser yet another DEMOCRAT caught red-handed ripping off her people.
Keemo on January 9, 2009 at 7:40 PM
I also noticed this story at Yahoo.com with no mention of her party affiliation.
Keemo on January 9, 2009 at 7:42 PM
I wonder how high the pile has to get before the MSM gives up and starts reporting the news.
davo on January 9, 2009 at 7:44 PM
More importantly, the developer took it as a charitable contribution on his taxes. Is there a letter from the city acknowledging this contribution?
Forget hope and change, indictment is the trend among black political leaders this season.
highhopes on January 9, 2009 at 7:46 PM
Nancy Pelosi must be so proud that her daddy’s old job has somebody just as corrupt as he was- only white Catholic Italians don’t get indicted in Baltimore (the most racist city I’ve ever lived in).
highhopes on January 9, 2009 at 7:47 PM
Just asking the question: How relevant is party affilitation when talking about a big city mayor? They are most likely black, liberal, and Democrat but is party affiliation all that relevant for that job?
highhopes on January 9, 2009 at 7:49 PM
highhopes on January 9, 2009 at 7:49 PM
We have been playing “Name that Party” here at HA for quite some time now.
Democrats are one big machine; every spoke in the wheel works together to produce the desired outcome. From the 1st grade teacher to the college professor to the City Mayor; these folks are lock step with each other.
Of coarse every piece of the machine is relevant.
Keemo on January 9, 2009 at 7:54 PM
True enough from the political standpoint but the complaint has been that the MSM didn’t mention party this (I guess I should say alleged) criminal’s affiliation. From a journalistic standpoint, is it relevant? The city I live in now doesn’t even have mayoral races by party.
Let me be clear that I think she is as corrupt and as filthy a politician as Obama or any of the Democrats he’s bringing to DC to rob this nation of its treasure and prop up the Democrat party. Nevertheless, like most any other big American city these days, the only people living there are the very rich and a class of ignorant minorities who vote these criminals into office because they are just one generation ahead of the moronic electorate. They always elect the liberal Democrat minority to office. We really don’t need the media to tell us that she’s a Democrat but who other than a corrupt Democrat would be leading Baltimore? There hasn’t been an honest mayor or a Republican leading that city in decades.
Since Mayor of Balitimore usually leads to becoming Governor, I’m guessing the filthy Maryland Democrats are scrambling tonight trying to figure out where to go from here. Perhaps they should send a delegation to Springfield to see how filthy Illinois Democrats deal with sudden scandal.
highhopes on January 9, 2009 at 8:12 PM
Term limits would be the only thing that could help CURB political corruption and Whitey ended those other things. Because until he did there was going to be no change.
thomasaur on January 9, 2009 at 8:14 PM
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