Ronald M. Smith, Extortion, Maryland 2024

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Baltimore Official Sentenced to Prison for Extortion

A former Baltimore Department of Public Works supervisor has been sentenced to prison for extorting cash payments from private businesses, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.

On January 25, 2024, U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Ronald M. Smith, 47, of Elkton, Maryland, to a year and a day in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, for the federal charge of extortion under color of official right.

Smith admitted to accepting cash payments for work he caused DPW crews to perform on at least 22 residential and commercial properties. He was ordered to pay a forfeiture money judgment of $64,000, representing his gain from the crime.

According to his plea agreement, Smith was an employee of the Department of Public Works in Baltimore City from 2014 to 2015. He was a supervisor in the Water and Waste Management Division and was responsible for responding to, overseeing, and performing service repairs to City water ways, pipes, taps, connections, valves, and water mains.

From 2014 through 2015, DPW was not responsible for installation of new or upgraded water service from Baltimore City’s water main to the water meter vault of a house or a commercial property. Property owners or developers were required to hire a bonded utilities contractor to tap into the City’s water main and connect from the water main to the property.

However, Smith obtained no permits for the work and was neither a licensed contractor nor a licensed plumber. He supervised a crew of approximately eight employees and accepted cash payments for the work they performed for private businesses.

Smith’s sentence was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner and Acting Special Agent in Charge Rachel Byrd of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.