Baltimore mayor allegedly purchased consoles with gift cards for the needy

by Alexander Sliwinski on Jan 9th 2009 8:59PM

Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon has been indicted on 12 counts, including four counts of perjury and two counts of theft over $500, following a three-year probe by a state prosecutor into corruption at City Hall. According to the Baltimore Sun, among the laundry list of charges against Dixon, which cover awarding lucrative contracts to family members and general misconduct in office, she also allegedly stole from those most in need and went console shopping.

According to prosecutors, a few years back Dixon used Best Buy gift cards, intended for underprivileged families, to purchase a PlayStation 2, Xbox 360 and PSP -- along with other pieces of consumer electronics. Dixon says she has done nothing wrong and is confident she'll be found innocent. She better pray that Best Buy doesn't keep videos of transactions in some vault for years.

Update: Dixon resigns and pleads guilty.

[Via GamePolitics]

Source

Tags: baltimore, baltimore-sun, dixon, mayor-sheila-dixon, PS2, PSP, sheila-dixon, Xbox-360

Reader Comments (67)

Correct me if I'm wrong. But I believe the first wire reference goes to Haon. Nice one bro.

SHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT

I'm sure Senator Clay Davis would cover for her, "Sheeeeeeeeit. She was just getting all those consoles for the poor children. Bring some happiness into their lives."

Yet another reason to be proud of being from baltimore, Jan 10th and already 11 homicides and now this gem from city hall.

Does anyone else find something retarded about "Best Buy gift cards, intended for underprivileged families"?
I mean granted best buy does sell appliances and such, but i feel there was probably stores more appropriate they could have purchased "gift cards for the needy" from.

It is a story about Baltimore City and its politicians.

Of course they would do the diametric opposite of common sensical. You and I would both find someplace like, say, Sears, Wal-Mart, or Target as infinitely better suited to helping the needy.

Sheila Dixon, however, is needy too. A $100K+/year salary only goes to pay for so much, after all.

Well that's just stupid theft.
Sears sells game consoles and electronics as well, that would probably have risen less eye brows when the books were being checked.

But then again, maybe those Sunday deals at best buy were just too good to pass up.

The gift cards we're probably for the kids.

"Baltimore mayor allegedly purchased consoles with gift cards FROM the needy"

Kinda changes the direction of the story.

Gotta love Baltimore. Crazy thing is the people love her, although that has more to do with the color of her skin than the strength of her character.

Nepotism, the world wouldn't be the same without it.

In the UK we have an electronics store called Dixons....

Isn't a Wal*Mart or Kroger card more fitting for families in need than a Best Buy card? "Sorry kids, we don't have a Christmas dinner, but hey, I bought you a PlayStation." ...Just an observation.

Regardless, this is still terrible.

Been a citizen of Baltimore my whole life, and our politicians are a crazy lot, but she was doomed from the start. Anyone who knows even a bit about politics knew how corrupt she was. But her opponents in the Primary and General had ZERO experience next to her, and we figured maybe she'd pull her head out of the ground. Guess not.

Besides.. do the poor really need stuff from Best Buy?