State prosecutors landed their second guilty plea Monday stemming from a lengthy investigation into alleged corruption in Baltimore?s City Hall.
Mildred Boyer, 42, the owner of a company with ties to Mayor Sheila Dixon, pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return for 2003. She is the second person to take a plea deal in exchange for cooperating with the city hall corruption investigation.
“Under the circumstances, we thought it was a fair and effective way to deal with it,” Michael McDonough, deputy state prosecutor, said of the plea deal.
Dixon?s spokesman, Sterling Clifford, declined comment. Dixon previously has said Boyer?s legal troubles do not involve her.
Boyer?s attorney, Neal Janey, said the agreement was in his client?s “best interest.”
Baltimore City Circuit Judge Timothy Doory sentenced Boyer to five years of probation before judgment — meaning she avoids a conviction — and 500 hours of community service in the Baltimore City or Baltimore County public schools.
Boyer has repaid $61,000 to Action Capital Corporation of Georgia, $3,000 to the state of Maryland, and made a donation of $4,500 to the College Bound Foundation for scholarships for needy students, prosecutors said.
In exchange for her cooperation, prosecutors dropped nine of 10 counts in an indictment that accused her of creating false city documents and stealing nearly $200,000 from the Atlanta firm.
That indictment resulted from an investigation into allegations of conflict of interest between Dixon and her sister, Janice Dixon?s former employer, Union Technologies, also known as Utech, which is owned by Boyer.
According to the indictment, which concerns Boyer?s actions between 2002 and 2004, Boyer made counterfeit invoices with the intent to defraud Action Capital Corporation of Atlanta, stealing $193,736.
Boyer fabricated a false letter, written on “City of Baltimore, Office of Mayor” letterhead, stating that her company had been awarded a Baltimore City contract, the indictment alleged.
The indictment also alleged that Boyer falsified invoices to the City of Baltimore with the forged signatures of city employees.
Last year, Dale Clark, 45, a former aide to now-BaltimoreMayor Sheila Dixon, pleaded guilty to failing to file income tax returns.
He was sentenced to five years of probation and fined $5,000. Clark also agreed to cooperate with authorities in their investigation.
