ANNAPOLIS – Delegate Tiffany Alston, D-Prince George’s, struck a plea bargain Tuesday morning on charges of using campaign money to help pay for her wedding.
Prosecutors said the plea will result in her suspension from the Maryland House of Delegates, but Alston and her attorney remain hopeful she will maintain her position.
State Prosecutor Emmet C. Davitt and Alston’s attorney J. Wyndal Gordon reached the agreement just before trial was scheduled to start in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court.
Alston, 35, was found guilty in June on a separate charge of stealing from the General Assembly to pay an employee at her law firm.
Tuesday’s plea bargain requires Alston to complete 300 hours of community service, pay $800 in restitution and serve three years of supervised probation. The plea bargain also allows for a chance to clear a previous sentencing on misconduct in office, on the condition that she pay the restitution and complete her community service.
While those penalties are straightforward, both sides maintain a fundamental disagreement about whether or not she’ll stay in office. Davitt said Maryland’s Constitution requires Alston to give up her seat, but Gordon said that is to be decided by the attorneys for the General Assembly.
“As the court has agreed to strike the guilty finding and enter probation before judgment, I’m not totally convinced it’s as cut and dry as the state says it is,” Gordon said. “This is probably perhaps the best resolution, because it allows her to remain in office and leave her fate with her colleagues as opposed to with the jury of Anne Arundel County.”
This is not something that will be decided in the short run, Gordon said. Until then, Alston will work to complete her community service hours.
The attorney general’s office, which advises the General Assembly, is awaiting receipt and review of the court proceedings, and declined to comment at this time on the case.
Alston broke down in tears outside the courtroom while discussing the support she’s received from constituents, many of whom sent letters, cards and gifts.
“My constituents have been wonderful,” Alston said. “I just spend a lot of time praying and being thankful for what I do have.”
Alston, who represents parts of Prince George’s County in District 24, was elected in 2010. Before the corruption trials, she may have been best known for stalling progress on same-sex marriage legislation when she failed to show up for a committee vote on a bill she co-sponsored.
By Caitlin Johnston
Capital News Service
Bill Anderson says
Does anybody else wonder how many times an elected official can steal from public finds before the laws of the state are brought into play, to sentence her appropriately for her misdeeds? If I robbed a bank and then returned the money when I was caught, would I be afforded the same “Let off the hook” deal if i agreed to perform a few hours of public service? Incredible administration (or manipulation) of the criminal justice system. This woman is an ordinary thief whose general assembly status seems to differentiate her from other criminals. Let’s start the process of unraveling that special treatment and have her expelled from the general assembly and imprisoned
Jack Offett says
These weren’t public funds. Let’s be really clear. She stole from political contributors. Almost like stealing from family. Delegate Bridezilla.
joe diamond says
Bill,
More to it than that! There should be a trial don’t ya think? A plea bargain means there may be evidence that could be presented to a judge that would exonerate or mitigate the offense. Rather than go through a trial both parties agreed to not do that. Part of the deal is that we don’t get to see any evidence.
If you robbed a bank and threatened people with a weapon you would face much harsher charges and penalties, regardless of giving the money back, that someone who is an elected official and has a staffer write a check to a caterer.
This is small change in the tradition of Maryland political life. Remember former vice president Spiro Agnew?
Joe
joe diamond says
Joe,
You keep looking at small examples and expecting to make your point. How about presenting small change from the federal point of view?
For example:
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) blasted Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) on Tuesday for spending nearly $1.5 million in taxpayer-funded money in a legal battle over the Defense of Marriage Act.“For more than a year, Speaker Boehner and Congressional Republicans have committed valuable taxpayer dollars to defending discrimination and preserving inequality – only to lose case after case in their effort to uphold the Defense of Marriage Act,” she said in a statement. “There is nothing effective or efficient about this utter abuse of the people’s trust or the public purse; it is simply wasteful and wrong, and Americans deserve better.”From Raw Story
You can buy a lot of F16 tires for that….sorry about the code.
Joe
D. Moore says
Well… $800 “restitution”…. and the court “agreed to strike the guilty finding”. Seems everything is in order here. Steal on oh elected officials.