The Federal Bureau of Investigation swarmed the District Heights home of a prominent Maryland state senator and the headquarters of Prince George?s-based Shoppers Food and Pharmacy on Thursday.
Neighbors of Sen. Ulysses Currie, D-Prince George?s, say FBI agents arrived at the home before 9 a.m. and didn?t leave until 3:30 p.m., carrying what looked like file folders in a brown paper bag and a laptop computer with them.
Agents removed boxes from the headquarters after an hours-long search there.
FBI spokesman Richard Wolf would not confirm whether the two raids were connected, but Haley Meyer, a spokeswoman for SUPERVALUE, Shoppers? corporate parent said “the FBI has told us that they are working on an investigation related to one of our service providers, Senator Currie.”
Later in the day, in a separate news release, Meyer also described Currie as an “outside consultant.”
Calls to Currie were not returned Thursday.
Several of his colleagues said they were just learning of the investigation and knew nothing of his connection to the grocery store.
They exchanged phone calls among themselves but had little to offer regarding details.
“It?s news to me,” said Sen. Paul Pinsky, a Prince George?s Democrat.
His neighbors had a similar reaction to the news. Several thought the crowd of unmarked cars outside his house for the majority of the day were there for a party or a funeral.
“I?m totally baffled,” said Joann Gray, who has lived in her home two doors down from Currie for more than 40 years.
Currie, 70, is the chairman of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, which oversees budget writing and plays a significant role in steering state spending.
He?s a former teacher and longtime Prince George?s County resident and played a role in this year?s legislation designed to save the county?s ailing hospital system. He has been serving in the Senate since 1995, after spending eight years in the House of Delegates.
Examiner Staff Writer Jamie Malarkey contributed to this report.
