Powerful Md. state senator indicted on extortion, bribery charges

A federal grand jury has indicted powerful Maryland Senate committee chairman Ulysses S. Currie on charges of bribery, extortion, and mail fraud and making false statements.

Currie, a Democrat from Forestville in Prince George’s County, is accused of taking an off-the-book job with Shoppers Food Warehouse in exchange for using his official position to influence government business to benefit the supermarket chain. He has been under federal investigation for more than two years for working as a consultant for Shoppers without disclosing the work in financial disclosure forms.