Posted on 02/26/26
| News Source: FOX45
Baltimore, MD - Feb. 26, 2026 - The office of Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott violated policies governing the use of city procurement cards, known as p-cards, which mayoral staff members used to purchase food at sporting events and for internal events, such employee celebrations, according to the latest report released today by the city’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) Isabel Cumming.
According to the OIG report, the investigation reviewed P-Card purchases by the mayor’s office from July 1, 2022 to Nov. 17, 2025.
“The OIG’s investigation identified concerns regarding the Mayor’s Office’s use of P-Cards, including policy violations related to P-Card purchases, delays in reconciliations, the lack of required Bureau of Procurement (BOP) P-Card waivers, expenses for internal events, and purchases of prohibited items,” according to a summary of the report.
The city’s p-card manual prohibits the purchase of certain items, such as food and flowers, without a waiver from a city agency to the BOP, the report states. Overall, the OIG’s investigation found the mayor’s office did not submit required waivers for 336 P-Card transactions, which totaled $167,455.06.
“Of those transactions, 295 were related to food or catering purchases,” the report summary states. “The OIG learned that the Mayor’s Office has spent approximately $52,588.78 taxpayer funds on food or beverages during Baltimore Orioles and Baltimore Ravens games. Witnesses stated the food and beverage is purchased when the Mayor or Mayor’s Office staff attend games in the Mayoral Suite at both stadiums.”
In response, the OIG recommended that the BOP “engage in conversation with the City’s financial institution for p-cards about additional ways to restrict cardholder spending and implement a feature that notifies supervisors or fiscal officers of declined charges, which could help identify suspicious charges, prohibited purchases, or split transactions.”