American politician Sheila Ann Dixon took over as Baltimore, Maryland’s 48th mayor on January 17, 2007, following the inauguration of Mayor Martin O’Malley as governor. Dixon completed the last year of his term as president of the Baltimore City Council, and in November of 2007, he was elected mayor.
Dixon was the first female mayor of Baltimore, the first African-American woman to hold the position of president of the City Council, and the third black mayor of Baltimore. Robert A. Rohrbaugh, the state prosecutor at the time, filed an indictment against Dixon on January 9, 2009, alleging twelve felonies and misdemeanors, including embezzlement, misconduct, and perjury.
According to the indictment, two well-known Baltimore real estate developers, Patrick Turner and Ronald Lipscomb, gave gift cards for personal use. Testimony indicates that gift cards were provided and delivered by the mayor and other city officials in various neighborhoods during the yearly “Holly Trolley Tour,” which takes place around one week before Christmas.
Her office got the aforementioned gift cards between December 2004 and December 2007. In this post, you can learn about Sheila Dixon’s boyfriend.
Sheila Dixon Boyfriend
At Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon’s criminal theft trial on Friday, a procession of city workers—including Dixon’s current boyfriend—took the stand to testify regarding holiday gift cards that showed up on their desks and others that were distributed to low-income families as part of an ineptly run city housing program.
Gift card flows through City Hall are now a significant concern for defense lawyers and prosecutors alike. Prosecutors claim the Democratic mayor used gift cards intended for charity to purchase stuff for herself and her assistants.
The mayor has entered a not-guilty plea to seven theft-related offenses. Dixon’s attorneys claim that she thought the cards were private presents from Ronald H. Lipscomb, her developer boyfriend at the time. Poliks added that a Giant grocery store gift card was found inside a brown Coach purse that was hanging on Dixon’s bedroom doorknob.
In his opening remarks, State Prosecutor Robert A. Rohrbaugh stated that Dixon had utilized a portion of the gift card to buy groceries, milk, and blackberries. Lipscomb had sent the card to her office in December 2006 so that it may be given to a family in need.
Edward Anthony, a division chief in the city housing department and the mayor’s current lover, testified Friday afternoon on another Giant gift card that Lipscomb presented. When Rohrbaugh questioned Anthony, he stated he couldn’t recall ever getting a grocery store gift card from Dixon or anybody else.
Anthony did admit, though, that he used his Giant discount card in connection with a gift card that was linked to Lipscomb. Anthony reported that he regularly receives store gift cards, which he soon loses track of. Anthony cited multiple examples during Melissa Phinn, the defense attorney,’s cross-examination before declaring, “Being a single man, I don’t have the best organization.
I have numerous gift cards scattered about. Despite being called as a prosecution witness, Anthony supported the defense by informing the jury that Dixon frequently receives gifts at work, sometimes from unknown senders. Anthony claimed that she often donates them to someone else “out of the goodness of her heart.”
Is Sheila Dixon Misuse of Gift Cards?
Dixon’s attorneys argue that the gift cards she is alleged to have misused were genuinely hers to spend. Anthony described his relationship with Dixon as “extremely challenging,” stating that they began dating in 2006. He remarked that “you have to love and respect a person” in order to withstand such adversity.
He claimed that he spends roughly twenty minutes every night speaking with the mayor and that they frequently pray together. Three additional city employees, all of whom are employed by Dixon, testified after Anthony. When Dixon was the president of the City Council in December 2006, they informed the jury that they were given gift cards during a holiday party.
The employees testified that they merely discovered the gift cards in envelopes on their desks at the party; prosecutors did not inquire as to whether they had received the cards directly from Dixon.
They attested that the cards were redeemable for stores like Giant, Old Navy, Circuit City, Target, and Toys R Us. During his introductory remarks, Rohrbaugh mentioned that Lipscomb and another developer, Patrick Turner, had sent gift cards to Dixon’s office in 2005 and 2006 for charity causes.
Defense lawyers attempted to establish during the three mayoral staffers’ cross-examination that the aides were worthy of charitable assistance. 21-year-old Sharon Jackson, Dixon’s scheduler, testified that she was taking care of her ailing grandmother and four half-siblings for $10 an hour while working part-time. You may also be interested in knowing about who is Corinna Kopf Boyfriend.
Sheila Dixon Divorce
Dixon’s receptionist, Lavania Monroe, stated that she was also taking care of her sick grandmother and that her pay at the time was roughly $20,000. Not long before getting gift cards for Christmas, Dixon’s office assistant, Chelsea Scott, filed for bankruptcy, lost her house, and went through a divorce.
Scott stated in her deposition that she discovered a wrapped PlayStation Portable gaming system—worth roughly $225—on her desk that Christmas in addition to the cards. She stated it was for her son. Scott claimed that although she never disclosed her financial situation to Dixon, she did reveal it to her coworker Howard Dixon, the mayor’s driver.
Later, Reginald Scriber, a worker with the city housing department, stood up to discuss an additional gift card scheme. He testified that the mayor and other city officials distribute dozens of gift cards to groceries and retail businesses in numerous city areas during the yearly “Holly Trolley Tour,” which takes place around a week before Christmas.
Scriber claimed that worthy families receive the cards, but he was unable to provide specific details regarding how the housing agency came into possession of them. Dixon is charged with hoarding several of the cards that were supposed to be distributed on the 2007 tour for her use. In his opening remarks, Rohrbaugh stated that they were discovered at her home in a Victoria’s Secret bag.
Lindbergh Carpenter was the only employee in his division who kept track of the Holly Trolley gift cards. In January, the worker entered a guilty plea to pilfering cards from the 2007 batch. He is scheduled to give a testimony in the mayor’s trial on Monday.
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Another link in the prosecution’s gift card network, Randell Finney, testified that his boss, Lipscomb, gave him two checks totaling $4,000 to buy cards from Best Buy and other retail establishments in 2005 and 2006. Finney testified under immunity granted by presiding Judge Dennis M. Sweeney at the prosecution’s request.
Finney, who works for Doracon Contracting as both Lipscomb’s assistant and driver, claimed to have given the gift cards to Howard Dixon, the mayor’s chauffeur, who is not the mayor’s relative.
Finney claimed he couldn’t remember discussing the gift cards with Sheila Dixon personally. However, he was shown phone records by Thomas “Mike” McDonough, the deputy state prosecutor, which proved that in mid-December 2005, around the time Finney was buying the cards, the two had made five phone calls.
Finney admitted under cross-examination by Arnold M. Weiner, the mayor’s primary attorney, that he could only provide proof that he had spent $960 on gift cards in 2005. He stated in his testimony that he did not turn in receipts for any of the gift card purchases and that he redeemed a $1,500 corporate check from Lipscomb at a liquor store.
A Twitter post is given:
(2008) Baltimore Mayor (SHEILA DIXON) Got Boyfriend Tax Breaks, Zoning Changes. pic.twitter.com/spJRFIdDdf
— Tracey Mackin (@mackintracey1) November 24, 2023
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