Ronald Lipscomb has not only showered Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon with gifts of fur coats and vacations. The Sun reported today that Lipscomb has also donated a significant amount of money to her political campaign over the past decade.

Also under investigation — and far more disgraceful to me than the political contributions, if true — are Dixon’s use of gift cards. Prosecutors are trying to determine whether Dixon solicited gift cards from businesses as donations for needy families, but then instead gave them to city employees or used them herself.

Campaign finance records show that Lipscomb made $487,000 in political contributions over the past decade, which includes tens of thousands to Dixon and Gov. Martin O’Malley. Under Maryland law, a person or business can only donate $10,000 over a four-year election cycle, with a cap of $4,000 per candidate. Lipscomb allegedly skirted this restriction by funneling his contributions through 57 limited-liability corporations associated with his company.

I wonder what tomorrow will bring…

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