WASHINGTON – According to a CNN investigation, Prince George’s County Executive Anglea Alsobrooks, who is running for a seat in the Maryland Senate, allegedly claimed tax breaks for which she was not eligible.

Alsobrooks is alleged to have improperly applied for tax credits for homes in Maryland and DC. According to CNN, the district administration applied for a property tax exemption in Maryland, which is supposed to apply only to a person’s primary residence, as well as a senior citizen tax credit for her property in Washington DC

CNN reports that after reviewing her property records and tax returns for both properties, the 53-year-old would not have been eligible for a senior citizen exemption, but her grandparents, who owned the DC property before her, likely did. According to the report, the exemption saved her nearly $14,000 in taxes between 2005 and 2017.

“Many Maryland residents know how difficult and complicated it is when a family member has to leave their home. When Angela’s grandmother found herself in this situation, Angela took over the home for her family and paid the mortgage until the property was sold in 2018. She was unaware of any tax credits on the property and has reached out to the District of Columbia to resolve the issue and make the necessary payments,” Connor Lounsbury, senior counsel to Alsobrooks, said in a statement to FOX 5.

According to CNN, she purchased her Maryland property in 2005 and in 2008, she reportedly applied for a property tax exemption on the townhouse.

Alsobrooks eventually began renting out the property while continuing to claim the primary residence exemption, which violated state and local tax relief rules. CNN estimates the exemption would have saved her at least $2,600 since 2020.

Then, in 2014, CNN reported that Alsobrooks had purchased another home in an “equestrian community” in Prince George’s County. This property is listed as her primary residence, but there is no property tax exemption there.

“When Angela purchased her new property, the property tax credit from her previous home was not transferred. This did not provide Angela with any financial benefit. In fact, she ended up paying more in taxes than she would have paid if she had allowed the credit to be transferred. Nevertheless, Angela is working to pay back all of the credits she received on her old property,” her spokesperson said.

A senior adviser to Alsobrooks told CNN that she was unaware of the problem and that her lawyers were working with authorities in DC and Prince George’s County to resolve the issue.

Alsobrook’s Senate election

Alsobrooks won the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in May by defeating Rep. David Trone, setting him up for a fight to retain the party’s majority in the Senate in the general election in November.

A lifelong Prince Georgian and former district attorney, she became governor of Maryland’s second-largest county with the largest number of registered Democrats in the state in 2018.

Her victory in the primary opened the way for a general election against former Republican Governor Larry Hogan. The winner will succeed retiring Senator Ben Cardin.

Alsobrooks is seeking to become Maryland’s first black U.S. senator and one of the few black women in the upper house of Congress. She has a big advantage because Maryland has three times as many Democrats as Republicans.

She spoke to FOX 5 after winning the primary. She believes this campaign will hinge on women’s health care and abortion rights, adding that she wants a campaign that focuses on issues that are important to voters.

Hogan’s campaign also released a statement to FOX 5 on Sunday, saying, “It is deeply disturbing that Angela Alsobrooks thinks the rules don’t apply to her. She campaigns on tax increases while not paying her own taxes and taking advantage of tax credits reserved for the poor and elderly. She claims to be ignorant of the tax laws she was tasked with enforcing. Governor Hogan has always stood up for taxpayers and will continue to fight for justice and fiscal responsibility in the Senate.”

The parliamentary elections will take place on Tuesday, 5 November 2024.