Maryland Prison Workers Indicted In Payroll Scheme
BALTIMORE (AP) — Three Maryland prison system employees have been charged in a bribery and kickback scheme involving unearned pay, according to authorities.
Fiscal technician Shantil Carter and correctional officers Okezie Chidume and Gerald Leon Solomon Jr. were indicted Monday by a Baltimore County grand jury on conspiracy, theft, bribery and other charges.
Prosecutors say Carter was paid by Chidume and Solomon to alter their time cards so they could be paid for hours they did not work. They say Chidume was improperly paid almost $34,000 while Solomon received $27,000 for work he did not perform.
Authorities allege that the scheme began in early 2018 and lasted through the fall of 2019.
The Secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services Robert Green issued a statement saying the alleged scheme was discovered by his agency's intelligence and investigative division.
Online court records show that Carter has a long history of judgments and liens against her, including a consent judgment of more than $25,000 in a 2016 lawsuit filed by Baltimore City Local 1535 of The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
Carter also was charged last year with felony and misdemeanor animal cruelty offenses in Baltimore County.
(© Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
