BALTIMORE, Md -(WBFF) The money machine behind Marilyn Mosby's 2019 Europe trip has many moving parts.
There are the "projects" like Fair and Just Prosecution, and then there's the non-profit that created the project.
The Tides Center is the 501 (c) (3) that created FJP.
Donors turn to The Tides Center to create "projects" and find willing participants to be part of those projects.
In May 2019, Marilyn Mosby and roughly 16 other prosecutors from across the United States traveled to Portugal and Germany with FJP.
In an emailed statement Mosby's spokesperson Zy Richardson wrote||
We strongly believe that our city needs to reform its criminal justice system. Every time the State’s Attorney has traveled, it has been to deepen her knowledge of alternative approaches to criminal justice. She traveled to Portugal and Germany, with a large group of fellow reform-minded prosecutors, and then testified before the state legislature on the need for safe consumption spaces. Our office now does not prosecute drug possession, partly because of what the State’s Attorney saw in Portugal. She has never sought to hide her travel or the lessons learned from it, publishing this information in our office’s annual report, and has been fully transparent with her ethics obligations. The vast majority of trips came at no expense to taxpayers. In fact, in the course of 3 years, the only cost to tax payers has been approximately $5300.
The Europe trip is one of sixteen work related trips Mosby took in 2019.
Based off statements made by Mosby's office, we calculated the amount of money Mosby collected during the nearly three months of travel in 2018 and 2019.
Sean Kennedy with the Maryland Public Policy Institute weighed in on these trip elected officials have taken.
Kennedy says||
It compromises their ethical duty to do their job.
Kennedy says||
Marilyn Mosby owes tens of thousands of dollars to a few very select organizations because she got luxury travel from them. She is beholden to them and she owes them favors.
In a video FJP posted after COVID19 struck, many of the prosecutors who traveled to Portugal and Germany recorded messages to their respective Governors.
During the video it appeared as if some of the prosecutors were reading from a script.
When we asked Mosby's office about the video, it was the only question that went unanswered.
We did email FJP about the donors who are backing it.
A representative did not provide an immediate response to our inquiry.
Mosby's office tells Fox45 News they are unaware of who the donors are.
Asked if the donors made campaign contributions to Mosby , we were told, "No."
As we continue to investigate the money trail behind Marilyn Mosby's travels, we encounter more questions.
Travel industry insiders tell Operation: Crime & Justice travel agents see a savings when they book travel.
We know Marilyn Mosby typically paid for her trips upfront.
Trip sponsors would later reimburse Mosby.
As the Baltimore Brew was first to report Mosby received roughly $30,000.00 in reimbursed travel over the past two years.
Earlier this month, we learned Mosby formed a travel agency in 2019 that she failed to mention in her financial disclosure forms filed with the State Ethics Commission.
Mosby amended her forms only after she was notified by the State of Maryland that the press was reviewing them.
Zy Richardson says||
According to the State Ethics Commission, the general reporting deadline is April 30th of each year. She filed her disclosures prior to the deadline and prior to the global pandemic facing the country. She was reminded to amend her disclosures 33 days past the deadline when she was alerted that her disclosures were pulled. The State’s Attorney has nothing to hide and has been fully transparent in all of her disclosures, which is how you’re reporting on them.