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Shoppers paid Currie at least $207,000, affidavit data shows
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BALTIMORE (Map, News) - State Sen. Ulysses Currie earned at least $207,000 from a local grocery store to facilitate transportation projects and push legislation on its behalf, according to portions of a federal affidavit used for a search warrant of his home unsealed Thursday.
The Prince George’s County Democrat reported $153,000 in income from Shoppers Food Warehouse and its parent company, SuperValu, on his tax returns for 2003 through 2006, but his bank records indicate he continued to receive payments totaling more than $54,000 through 2007, according to the document.
In December 2004, Currie received seven checks for $3,416 each from SuperValu, six on sequential business days.
“After December 2004, Currie’s next payment from SuperValu was a check dated July 15, 2005, suggesting that the six sequential payments were actually prepayments to Currie for the six months from January 2005 through June 2005,” wrote FBI Special Agent Steven Quisenberry.
The information was contained in portions of an affidavit previously redacted at the request of Currie’s attorney, Dale Kelberman. U.S. District Judge Marvin Garbis released the information Thursday in a legal agreement between Kelberman and several news organizations including The Baltimore Examiner that will keep some information in the document permanently secret.
Currie listed the income on his tax returns relating to a consulting business operating out of Shoppers, but did not include it on required financial disclosure forms with the General Assembly. Currie, a retired educator who chairs the powerful Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, is under investigation for mail and wire fraud and the deprivation of “honest services,” according to the affidavit.
Currie, 70, has had 320 phone contacts with employees of the Lanham-based chain and SuperValu since 2004, according to the affidavit. Documents released by several transportation agencies under federal subpoena showed Currie facilitated several road improvement projects that benefited Shoppers stores across the state.
Currie also lobbied for a bill to allow one Shoppers store to transfer its liquor license to another, and fought tax legislation that would negatively affect retailers, Quisenberry wrote.
Most of the affidavit, used in a May 29 raid of Currie’s District Heights home and Shoppers headquarters, was released Tuesday at the request of the media. Kelberman unsuccessfully argued that Currie’s privacy outweighs the public’s right to scrutinize records related to the investigation.
Kelberman did not return a call by press time.
jmalarkey@baltimoreexaminer.com
Comments from Examiner Readers
4:22 AM MST on Fri., Sep. 12, 2008 re: "Attorneys say some of Currie’s votes may not have violated ethics rules"
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5:49 AM MST on Mon., Jul. 28, 2008
re: "Attorneys say some of Currie’s votes may not have violated ethics rules"
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4:58 AM MST on Fri., Jul. 25, 2008
re: "Shoppers paid Currie at least $207,000, affidavit data shows"
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4:55 AM MST on Fri., Jul. 25, 2008
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re: "Affidavit: Maryland Sen. Ulysses Currie, Shoppers talked on phone 320 times"
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re: "Affidavit: Maryland Sen. Ulysses Currie, Shoppers talked on phone 320 times"
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6:06 AM MST on Fri., May. 30, 2008
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Examiner Reader said:
Can anyone explain the difference between what Currie supposedly did with Shoppers Stores and what Peter Franchot did with Safeway?
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Frank from Parkville said:
I love it..."some"...that means SOME did violate ethics laws. Why don't we focus on those???
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Examiner Reader said:
Nothing will happen to these people , and yes they will always receive there great bennefits and pensions without losing any for punishment.They are a disgrace to the taxpayer.
1 agree | 0 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Maybe he was calling in his prescriptions 320 times.
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Examiner Reader said:
What a sleezy, jerk off man.
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The Undertaker said:
A corrupt Maryland politician? I can't imagine such a thing. Maybe he can share a bunk with Bromwell.
1 agree | 0 disagree
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Internet said:
LOL, accoridng to these skewed commnets, Republicans are saints!!! Ahhh, cognitive dissonance, a favorite of Republican lemmings everywhere.
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Examiner Reader said:
I hope they nail him to the wall.
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Examiner Reader said:
This just goes to show that African-Americans have reached quality with the rest of the American power structure. They are now as corrupt as everyone else. Way to go. Morons!
2 agree | 0 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
This is what happens in a state that is one party.
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Examiner Reader said:
Sen. Ulysses Currie failed to file annual disclosure forms in 1988, 1995 and 2003 and was twice officially reprimanded by the state’s ethics commission, according to letters documenting the complaints between the Prince George’s County Democrat and commission officials. He is clearly unethical, and should be forced to resign.
3 agree | 0 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Sheila and O'Malley both SUCK !!!!
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Examiner Reader said:
Guess the Sheila Dixon indictment is at a stand still. Always believed it would be impossible to incriminate Dixon without incriminating O'Malley,so both will continue to go free for their illegal contract awards, pension funds, campaign finance violations, cooking books, etc. Dale Clark convicted. UTECH CEO convicted, still no word on Sheila Dxon.
7 agree | 1 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
It's so comforting to know that someone as corrupt as Currie is Chairman of the Budget and Taxation Committee. Another example of corruption in Annapolis.
4 agree | 2 disagree
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johnn said:
i agree ,no one is going after martin omalley,shawn malone,shelia dixson,walter tuffy of iid,maria corman,lawyer for martin omalley,karen hoening,lawer for martin omalley,mary olierman,debbie owens..all thease people that have lied,summited false docment,and destroyed document..no one seems to have guts enough to go after them
8 agree | 2 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I take back every thing I said about this guy - He is that stupid.
2 agree | 2 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I don't really care whether the FBI goes after Currie. But, what bothers me is I'd bet my last dollar that he is no more corrupt than Mike Miller, O'Malley, or Sheila Dixon. I wish the FBI would focus on the worst culprits.
6 agree | 3 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
This is to reporter Jamie Malarky. There is a difference between failing to file afinancial disclosure and filing late and paying a late penalty. Did Currie "fail" to file, meaning to date the Ethics Commission has received none of these prior reports, or did he simply file late and pay a penalty. The heading of your article may be a tad misleading. Perhaps not. But, in my view, there is a significant difference between "an ethics complaint" that a legislator has committed and unethical act and "an ethicscoplaint" that he filed a report late and paid a fine. Just as there is a difference betwwen faile to file tax returns and filing a return late and paying a late penalty. I happen to believe reporters should be held to a high standard of integrity and ethics when reporting news.
6 agree | 1 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Harry, I agree. Being a legislator should be a full-time job with a full-time reasonable salary, and outside employment should be banned during the term of service. Legislators should have full-time, or at least 9 months of the year to handle the business of the state and serve their constituents. They should be forced to file public annual reports about legislation they supported and opposed and how they voted. These reports should be sent to every registered voter in their district.
4 agree | 2 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Currie has repeated ethics violations and nothing happens. The Maryland Ethic Commission is a fraud. The voters need to revolt.
2 agree | 1 disagree
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Harry said:
@ Casa de MD: So, because Currie helps you, you think nothing should be done when he A) repeatedly violates ethics laws that clearly display his corruption, and 2) Ignore that he has illegal drug substances in his home, possibly for distribution? My God, you liberals play fast a loose with the law when it comes to yourselves. Very telling, it is.
2 agree | 1 disagree
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Harry said:
It's high time (no pun intended) that the MD legislature became a full-time body. Currently, the legislators only serve 3 months, with each delegate/senator having employment outside of that. Ethics rules should force them to give up their jobs and work full-time for the people of MD. This step begins to remove conflicts of interest, which they all have. However, in Currie's case, because he has been repeated cited for the same issue, he seems to be incaple of respecting what "recuse" means. As I've said before, throw them all out. They're all corrupt.
5 agree | 1 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
currie, like most maryland poiticians is probally a greedy crook. hope th fbi makes a good case and currie gets to share a cell with tommy bromwell.
2 agree | 1 disagree
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justdafacts said:
For balance the story should have mentioned that SuperValu favored Gov. Ehlich over Gov. O'Malley in the last election, having given Gov. Ehrlich $2,000 and Gov. O'Malley only $500. Only after Gov. O'Malley unseated Gov. Ehrlich did SuperValu contribute $3,000 to Gov. O'Malley's campaign.
2 agree | 2 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
The FBI has nothing better to do? I can think of a million people to be investigated, and Ulysess Currie is NO WHERE on the list...leave him aloneeeeeeeee!!!!!!!
6 agree | 10 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Stop the injustice. We need his vote for our funding next year! Thanks, Gus, Kim, Kerry, and all the hard workers from Casa De Maryland
3 agree | 6 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Please leave this man alone, he fights the good fight! Thank you, Gus Kerry, Kim and all the hard workers at Casa De Maryland
3 agree | 2 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Keep voting them in folks. They get richer and make us poorer.
2 agree | 2 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
There's nothing to see here-look the other way.
4 agree | 3 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
A democrat under investigation in this state? Say it ain't so!
{slowly Ulysses Currie reaches into his back pocket with his left hand. Just beyond his butt-cheek he finds it! THE RACE CARD! Don't let the feds raid without it! He'll be off scott-free with no issue. They might even name a school after him.
5 agree | 14 disagreeVote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
Another Liberal Democrat that raises your taxes but does not pay his. Throw the book at him.
3 agree | 3 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
He didn't pay his taxes.The IRS was there and was not reported!
5 agree | 2 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Well Well a Maryland dem. in trouble with the FBI. Not surprised. Maybe Miller can help him!
4 agree | 3 disagree
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