Source:
Associated PressBALTIMORE – A city housing official pleaded guilty Thursday to stealing gift cards meant for needy children, becoming the latest public figure snagged in a probe that led to Mayor Sheila Dixon's indictment last week.
Lindbergh Carpenter Jr., 44, of Owings Mills pleaded guilty to stealing $140 worth of gift cards bought with city money for a Christmas program.
The cards never went to needy children. Instead, Carpenter used them to pay for part of a Nintendo Wii video game console for his own family, prosecutors said.
Carpenter, who faced up to 18 months in prison, was sentenced to a year of probation and must cooperate in any ongoing investigations. His phone number is unlisted and prosecutors would not identify his attorney.
"There can be no excuse for public servants stealing from the very people who they are supposed to be serving," State Prosecutor Robert Rohrbaugh said. "Public employees who steal from the needy should be, and will be, prosecuted — regardless of the position they hold or the amount they have stolen."
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090115/ap_on_re_us/baltimore_mayor_probe
Sheesh.