Daryl Christopher Wade, Bribery, Maryland 2024

Baltimore City Official Charged with Taking Thousands in Bribes

In a shocking turn of events, Daryl Christopher Wade, a 50-year-old supervisor at the Baltimore City Department of Transportation, has been charged with taking thousands in bribes for voiding street cut fines.

According to the United States Attorney's Office, Wade has been a City of Baltimore employee since 1988 and is currently employed as a Construction Project Supervisor II within the DOT's Street Cut Unit. The DOT Street Cut Unit helps to monitor and administer fines associated with street cuts and street cut permits.

Wade allegedly used his official position to claim that he could void street cut fines in return for payments. In March 2016, an individual with the initials J.S., an owner of a Maryland construction and utilities company, attempted to broker bribe payments to Wade from the Vice President of a Virginia-based construction company.

The Virginia company had approximately $55 million in contracts with the City of Baltimore to restore and/or replace water and sewage lines throughout the City. In order to complete those contracts, the company conducted street cuts to reach water and sewer lines. Wade allegedly accepted multiple cash payments from a confidential human source in exchange for claiming that he could erase street cut fines.

The street cut permits are valid for 120 days before they expire, and a fine is assessed by DOT at $50 per day for each street cut not repaired past the expiration date. In January 2016, J.S. told the Virginia company that they would be receiving $1.3 million in street cut fines from DOT in the near future. J.S. then said he had a connection that could reduce the $1.3 million in fines by 80% to $260,000 if the company paid 20% ($52,000) to J.S.'s connection.

The complaint also alleges that a second confidential human source who runs a plumbing and drain construction business in Baltimore City was previously fined approximately $17,000 for street cuts in Baltimore City. Wade allegedly stopped the hearing, stating that he had heard enough and that the fines determination was on hold pending further review.

The charges against Wade were announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Stephen M. Schenning; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Acting Inspector General Stephen J. Lesniewski Jr. of the Baltimore City Office of Inspector General.

Mandatory Facts: Defendant name: Daryl Christopher Wade; Exact criminal charges: Charge related to an extortion scheme; City and state: Baltimore, Maryland; Exact date: Not specified; Sentence or outcome: Currently charged; Dollar amounts: $55 million, $36 million, $52,000, $17,000, $1.3 million, $260,000.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/pr/baltimore-city-department-transportation-supervisor-charged-taking-thousands-bribes