O?Malley, Brown return funds nearly a year later

The election committees of Gov. Martin O?Malley and Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown have returned almost $100,000 in contributions from a Hollywood producer who lives in Baltimore ? nearly one year after a government watchdog complained the contributions violated campaign finance laws.

O?Malley?s campaign treasurer, Martin Cadogan, sent producer James Robinson ? chief of Morgan Creek Productions ? a letter last month along with returned checks totaling $34,000 for O?Malley?s campaign and $62,000 for Brown?s. Cadogan said he recently learned Robinson is the sole stockholder of the various corporations that made the contributions, binding him to the state?s $4,000 cap per individual per campaign.