By AFRO Staff
Baltimore Developer Ronald Lipscomb (Courtesy Photo)
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(June 26, 2009) - Baltimore Developer Ronald Lipscomb was scheduled to go on trial this week, charged with bribing Baltimore City Councilwoman Helen Holton. But, instead he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of violating campaign finance laws and agreed to cooperate with the state prosecutor in its case against Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon.
Lipscomb was accused of paying for a poll for Holton in exchange for favorable votes on the City Council for an Inner Harbor East project he partially owns. In May, Judge Dennis Sweeney dismissed all charges—bribery, perjury and misuse of office—against Holton. But, state prosecutors recently filed papers declaring their intention to appeal Sweeney’s dismissal.
Prosecutors dropped the bribery charges against Lipscomb in favor of his testimony against Dixon, who he briefly dated at the end of 2003 and the beginning of 2004.
State Prosecutor Robert Rohrbaugh alleged Dixon committed perjury when she did not include several expensive gifts from Lipscomb on her financial-disclosure forms while she was City Council president. Theft charges against the mayor remain in place, but Sweeney dismissed the four perjury charges and a misconduct in office charge.
However, some speculate Lipscomb’s testimony could persuade prosecutors to ask a grand jury to re-indict Dixon on those charges or other offenses.
Dixon is scheduled to go on trial in September on the theft charges connected to several gift cards the state prosecutor argues she stole.