Judge gives board more time to respond to Nick Mosby claims he didn’t violate Baltimore ethics law with legal-defense fund
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Judge gives board more time to respond to Nick Mosby claims: Nick Mosby, a member of the Baltimore City Council, has been granted some further time to answer to allegations that he broke the city’s ethics rule by using a legal defense fund. The Maryland State Ethics Commission agreed to allow the request made by Mosby’s counsel to extend the period of time during which Mosby may reply to the charges.
Nick Mosby claims he didn’t violate Baltimore ethics law with legal-defense fund
On June 21st, the Ethics Commission received a complaint alleging that Mosby failed to create a legal-defense fund for council business prior to taking more than $12,000 in contributions from the legal-defense fund. The complaint was filed against Mosby by the legal-defense fund. The panel then gave Mosby a 10-day deadline to reply to the charges that were made against him. Mosby’s attorney said that the 10-day schedule was “unreasonable” and that his client had been complying with the commission in good faith. As a result, the attorney sought an extension of time in which to respond to the claims against Mosby.
The request for the extension was granted by the Maryland State Ethics Commission, which will now provide Mosby until July 13 to answer to the claims. The commission said in a letter to Mosby that it had approved his attorney’s request because of the “unusual circumstances” and Mosby’s “good faith cooperation.” The panel made this statement in the letter.
When Mosby allegedly received contributions to a legal defense fund before properly forming the fund, the ethics legislation in Maryland may have been broken, according to the allegations included in the lawsuit filed against Mosby. In addition, the lawsuit states that Mosby failed to register the fund with the Baltimore City Ethics Commission when it was required to do so. This might be considered a breach of ethics, which could lead to consequences such as a monetary punishment or, in more severe circumstances, expulsion from office.
Mosby has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, claiming that he has “never been under investigation” and that he has made it a point to obey the most recent iteration of both the City Code and the State Ethics Laws. The councillor has indicated that he established the legal-defense fund in accordance with “the letter of the law,” offering complete openness to the general public and ensuring that all contributions were lawfully received and recorded. He also stated that he provided full disclosure to the public.
Mosby is not the first member of the Baltimore City Council to be accused of breaking the city’s ethics regulations; this accusation was leveled against another council member. In the beginning of this year, Councilman Leon Pinkett was accused of not disclosing $15,000 in gifts and interest-free loans from a company that specializes in vehicle maintenance. Pinkett has said that she did nothing improper, and the Maryland State Ethics Commission is continuing its investigation into the allegations.
Because of the decision made by the Maryland State Ethics Commission to provide Mosby with further time to react to the claims, it seems that this case will not be addressed in the near future, and it is possible that further investigation will be conducted. In the meanwhile, Mosby few Baltimore will keep watching and waiting for the commission’s decision to reach a conclusion. The hearing that was supposed to decide whether of whether or not Baltimore Local Council President Nick Mosby broke city ethics code has been postponed once again. This time, the hearing has been postponed so that the city Board of Ethics would have more time to respond to Mosby’s argument.
