Baltimore mayor indicted on theft, perjury charges - Yahoo! NewsSkip to navigation » Skip to content » Yahoo!My Yahoo!MailMore Yahoo! ServicesSports Finance EntertainmentMake Y! My HomepageGet Yahoo! ToolbarAccount OptionsNew User? Sign UpSign InHelpYahoo! Searchweb search Home U.S. Business World Entertainment Sports Tech Politics Science Health Travel Most Popular U.S. Video Local News Education Religion Politics Crimes and Trials Baltimore mayor indicted on theft, perjury charges Buzz Up Send Email IM Share Digg Facebook Newsvine del.icio.us Reddit StumbleUpon Technorati Yahoo! Bookmarks Print By BEN NUCKOLS, Associated Press Writer Ben Nuckols, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 4 mins ago AP – This Dec. 15, 2008 file photo shows Baltimore Mayor Shelia Dixon in Baltimore. Baltimore City Councilman … BALTIMORE – 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. "I am being unfairly accused," Dixon said in a statement. "Time will prove that I have done nothing wrong, and I am confident that I will be found innocent of these charges." Dixon said she would not step down. "I will not let these charges deter me from keeping Baltimore on the path that we have set, or from carrying forward the significant progress we have made thus far," she said. Dixon, a 55-year-old Democrat, served on the City Council from 1987 through 2007 and as council president from 1999 through 2007. She became mayor in January 2007, finishing the term of Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley, and was easily elected to a full, four-year term later that year. The state prosecutor's investigation began in March 2006, and has overshadowed her entire tenure as mayor. She has consistently denied wrongdoing, and while many political observers were concerned an indictment could come at any time, the mayor nonetheless earned praise for efficient management, shrewd hiring and a coolheaded response to crises. The indictment against Dixon does not name Ronald H. Lipscomb, a prominent developer who briefly dated the mayor and who was indicted Wednesday on one charge of bribing a City Council member. However, previous court documents leave no doubt that Lipscomb is the "Developer A" mentioned in the indictment who showered the mayor with gifts and took several lavish trips with her in late 2003 and early 2004. Both were married at the time, although they were separated from their spouses. Dixon has since divorced. The indictment describes Dixon taking money from a developer that was used to buy expensive gifts — two fur coats and high-end skin products, for example — all while pampering herself with trips to New York City, Chicago and Colorado with stays at lavish hotels. The documents describe an elaborate scheme by which Lipscomb paid for part of a shopping spree Dixon enjoyed during a stay in Chicago. At one point, Dixon gave $4,000 in cash to a city employee, who deposited it in his personal checking account and wrote a check to pay off part of Dixon's American Express bill, according to the indictment. Dixon obtained the cash after Lipscomb cashed a corporate check worth $15,000 and the two exchanged several phone calls, the indictment says. Dixon has never listed any gifts from Lipscomb on financial disclosure forms. At the time of Dixon and Lipscomb's affair, his company was involved in several projects that received tax breaks from the city. Perhaps more damaging is the allegation that Dixon stole gift cards meant for the poor. For four years running, according to the indictment, Dixon received gift cards that were supposed to be distributed to needy families and either spent them herself or gave them to her staff. The alleged scam continued through December 2007, Dixon's first holiday season as mayor. According to the indictment, a city employee gave the mayor gift cards from Toys R Us that were supposed to go to poor children. Dixon gave one gift card to a staffer, and investigators said they found five more at her home when they searched it last summer. Dixon received a batch of Best Buy gift cards from Lipscomb's company in December 2004 and held onto some of them for a year before using them to buy CDs, DVDs and a video game at a Best Buy store downtown, according to the indictment. In 2005, Dixon hit up another unidentified developer for gift cards that she said would be used for needy families. The developer paid for 20 Best Buy gift cards worth $25 each, and Dixon used 19 of them, or $450 worth, to buy a camcorder, a video game controller and other electronics, the indictment says. Dixon's financial disclosure statements for the years in question do not mention that she received any gift cards. O'Malley, who was mayor during most of the alleged wrongdoing by Dixon, had no comment Friday, said his spokesman, Rick Abbruzzese. ___ Associated Press writer Brian Witte in Annapolis, Md., contributed to this report.Related Searches:dixon mayor sheila dixon grand jury Recommend 37 users recommend Buzz Up Send Email IM Share Digg Facebook Newsvine del.icio.us Reddit StumbleUpon Technorati Yahoo! Bookmarks Print More... U.S. Video: Powell promotes service for MLK Day AP U.S. Video: Jobless rate jumps to 7.2 percent in December AP U.S. Video: Recognizing Heroes ABC News Most Viewed - U.S. Ill. House impeaches gov, who vows 'not to yield' AP Burris denies Senate-seat deals, waits for court AP Texas death row inmate pulls out eye, eats it AP Ill. court: Official can't block gov's Senate pick AP Prosecutors: Madoff was ready to send out $173M AP All Most Viewed » Most Blogged - Top Stories Who’s afraid of Joe the Journalist? Michelle Malkin – Fri Jan 9, 5:38 am EDT Blogs About This Story (11) Prev Next O-bummer Politico.com: Politics '08 – Fri Jan 9, 5:05 am EDT Blogs About This Story (11) Prev Next Tavis Smiley of PBS: 'We're All Working For Barack Obama' NewsBusters.org - Exposing Liberal Media Bias – Fri Jan 9, 7:38 am EDT Blogs About This Story (7) Prev Next Elsewhere on the Web ABC News: Missouri Mom Missing, Husband Mum NPR: Toyota Braces For Tough Times McClatchy Newspapers: Bailout revamp would restore original purpose: housing help Alerts Get an alert when there are new stories about: Dixon Mayor Sheila Dixon grand jury Add Selected Alerts View More Alerts » Also on Yahoo! News Today in History Obituaries Corrections News by Region (Yahoo! Directory) Yahoo! News & Media Sites Daily Features All Comics » Opinions & Editorials: Diverse views on news from the right, left, and center. All Opinion » Photo Highlight Photo Highlight Slideshow A Bangladeshi youth paddles his surfboard as the sun sets in Cox's Bazar, Chittagong. AFP/Deshakalyan Chowdhury More Photos and Slideshow » Advertisements Yahoo! News Search All News Search Type All News Yahoo! News Only News Photos Video/Audio News Search Advanced Top Stories Ill. House impeaches gov, who vows 'not to yield'Obama says his economic plan will be refinedStocks slide after rise in unemployment rateIsrael and Hamas ignore UN call for cease-fireMadoff awaits fate: Jail or bail?House approves bill to fight wage discriminationBaltimore mayor indicted on theft, perjury charges More Top Stories » ADVERTISEMENT Sponsored Links Free Baltimore Dating Personals No credit card required; email local singles for free. www.SinglesNet.com Find Baltimore Real Estate Here Real estate and homes in Federal Hill, Baltimore, Canton, Fells Point, Otterbein, Locust Point and the surrounding areas. Check out my site for homes for sale, buyer tips and free reports. www.ericfig.com Baltimore City MD Realtors Find prescreened real estate agents in Baltimore MD in just one click. realestate.clicksmart.com Featured The Week in Photos All living U.S. presidents gather at the White House. View this and other photos of the week on Yahoo! News. Photos: Golden Globes The late Heath Ledger is among the contenders on Sunday.U.S. Video Play Video Powell promotes service for MLK Day AP Play Video Jobless rate jumps to 7.2 percent in December AP Play Video Recognizing Heroes ABC News Play Video Illinois House impeaches Gov. Rod Blagojevich AP More U.S. Video » Education Online Graduates Earn MoreOnline college students getting their degrees in top careers are feeling secure. More Adults in Online SchoolAdults with work and family demands are earning advanced degrees online.Yahoo!EntertainmentOMG!Celebrity News Gael Garcia Bernal Welcomes a Son! His first child with actress Dolores Fonzi is born … R. Kelly no longer trapped in marriage AP - R. Kelly can officially bump and grind … A 'Deluxe' Night on the Town Celebrities including the Hilton sisters and the Simpson sisters … More from Yahoo! Entertainment » Yahoo! News Navigation Home U.S. Business World Entertainment Sports Tech Politics Science Health Travel Most Popular Odd News Opinion News ServicesRSS News Alerts Weather Alerts Add Yahoo! Headlines to Your Site Site Map Help Feedback Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Copyright © 2009 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.Questions or CommentsPrivacy PolicyTerms of ServiceCopyright/IP Policy