Baltimore City Department of Transportation Supervisor Arrested for Extortion
A former Baltimore City Department of Transportation supervisor has pleaded guilty to taking thousands in bribes. Daryl Christopher Wade, 50, of Rosedale, Maryland, used his position to extort cash payments from business owners in exchange for voiding street cut fines.
Wade, who worked for the City of Baltimore from 1988 to 2017, was a Construction Project Supervisor II within the DOT’s Street Cut Unit. He would claim that he could erase street cut fines in return for payments, which ranged from thousands to tens of thousands of dollars.
The scheme involved Wade and co-defendant Jerome Walter Stephens, the owner of a Baltimore construction and utilities company. Together, they would extort other business owners, including Person A, the Vice President of a Virginia-based company with $55 million in contracts with the City of Baltimore.
Person A received a visit from Stephens in January 2016, who claimed that Wade could reduce $1.3 million in street cut fines to $260,000 for a $52,000 bribe. Person A refused the offer, stating that they would sue the City of Baltimore over the fines if necessary.
The investigation, led by the FBI and the Baltimore City Office of Inspector General, uncovered the scheme and resulted in Wade’s guilty plea. The charges against Wade include Extortion Under Color of Official Right, a federal crime that carries significant penalties.
Daryl Christopher Wade is currently awaiting sentencing and faces significant prison time for his role in the extortion scheme. The City of Baltimore has implemented measures to prevent similar schemes in the future, including increased oversight and transparency within the Department of Transportation.
The case serves as a reminder of the ongoing struggle against public corruption in Baltimore and the importance of holding public officials accountable for their actions.
Defendant Information:
Defendant Name: Daryl Christopher Wade
Criminal Charges: Extortion Under Color of Official Right
City and State: Baltimore, Maryland
Crime Date: 2016
Sentence: Awaiting Sentencing
Dollar Amounts:
$1.3 million (proposed street cut fines)
$260,000 (reduced fines)
$52,000 (bribe requested)
Key Facts
- State: Maryland
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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