Jun 18, 2008 5:43 pm US/Eastern
More Subpoenas In Federal Probe Of Senator
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) ―
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A federal probe into state Sen. Ulysses Currie's consulting work for a grocery store chain has expanded from Prince George's County to a store in a Baltimore shopping mall.
CBS
Federal investigators have broadened their probe of a powerful state senator's grocery store consulting work from his home county in the Washington suburbs to a shopping mall in Baltimore City, according to a subpoena made public Tuesday.
The U.S. attorney's office sent subpoenas to three state agencies: the Maryland Transit Administration, the Motor Vehicle Administration and the State Highway Administration, said Jack Cahalan, a spokesman for the Maryland Department of Transportation.
The MTA and SHA released copies of those subpoenas on Tuesday.
Cahalan said the MVA subpoena likely would not be released until Wednesday, but he said it had very similar wording to the one received by MTA.
Both the MTA and SHA either lease or own property near Mondawmin Mall in Baltimore, where a Shoppers Food Warehouse opened last year, Cahalan said.
Federal prosecutors are investigating Currie's consulting work for the grocery store chain, which is a subsidiary of Supervalue, Inc.
Currie, a Democrat from Prince George's County where the store is based, never reported the consulting work on his financial disclosure forms.
The subpoena for the MTA uses broad language in requesting documents from 2003 to the present relating to "communications or contacts of any sort with any person acting on behalf of Shoppers Food Warehouse, Supervalue, Inc., or any related entities."
Prosecutors also want "communications or contacts of any sort with Ulysses Currie or anyone acting on his behalf pertaining to any matters concerning shopping centers or grocery stores to include, but not be limited to, the Mondawmin Mall."
The subpoena set a June 25 deadline for the documents to be submitted.
Dale Kelberman, Currie's attorney, declined to comment Tuesday on the case.
Last week, Maryland officials turned over eight boxes of documents requested by authorities for the investigation, focusing on Currie's legislative activities and financial records. That subpoena was sent to the Department of Legislative Services, which provides administrative and technological support to members of the Maryland General Assembly.
On May 29, the FBI searched Currie's District Heights home, on the same day they searched the headquarters of Shoppers Food Warehouse. At Currie's house, agents collected financial information, including "a check stub from Shoppers" from last year, a consulting agreement with the grocery store and tax returns dating back to 2002. Agents also found marijuana and "drug packaging materials," according to an evidence recovery log.
Earlier this month, the Maryland State Highway Administration released a 2005 e-mail from the director who urged staff members to make plans for a traffic light near a Shoppers Food and Pharmacy in Laurel a priority because Currie believed it was "very important."
In a June 12 letter to the Maryland State Board of Elections, Currie asked the board for a "formal opinion" on whether he could use his campaign money to pay for his legal defense.
In the letter, which was first reported by The Washington Post, Currie emphasized that no charges had been filed against him.
Currie wrote: "While no charges have been filed, and I expect none will follow, in the event any criminal charges are filed relating to my position as a member of the legislature which would affect my continued viability as a candidate for public office, may I use my campaign funds to pay for my legal defense?"
Jared DeMarinis, the election board's candidacy and campaign finance director, said the board will confer with the attorney general's office for the opinion.
Currie, 70, is a Democrat who chairs the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, a powerful panel that directs billions of dollars in state spending.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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