ABOUT THE OFFICE OF THE STATE’S ATTORNEY FOR BALTIMORE CITY
The Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City (BCSAO) is responsible for the prosecution of all crimes that occur in Baltimore City. Employing over 200 attorneys and an additional 200 administrative and support staff, the BCSAO is the largest local prosecutorial office in the state of Maryland and prosecutes over 40,000 cases each year.
Uncompromisingly committed to accountability, professionalism, and transparency—the BCSAO is working towards a future where community trust in the criminal justice system is restored; violent offenders are held accountable, and communities feel safe.
Thereby, the BCSAO prosecutors and staff are committed to the mission and vision of the office and apply one standard of justice to every aspect of their work.
MISSION
The mission of the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City is to safeguard communities in Baltimore City through the effective prosecution of crime.
Justice is the only barometer of success for our office, which is why our prosecutors are sworn to aggressively pursue “justice over convictions” in every case. Justice is doing what is fair and appropriate in each case, taking into account the nature of the crime, its impact on the victim, and the circumstances of the defendant. Sometimes justice requires a conviction and lengthy prison sentence, but other times justice requires dropping all charges or diverting a defendant out of the criminal justice system to drug rehabilitation, education, or job training.
When the evidence exists—justice also requires us to exonerate those that have been falsely accused or wrongly convicted.
VISION
The Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City, which is uncompromisingly committed to accountability, professionalism, and transparency—is working towards a future where community trust in the criminal justice system is restored; violent offenders are held accountable, and communities feel safe. We seek to cultivate an environment where success is measured not solely by the number of convictions obtained but by how we engage communities and apply justice independent of one’s sex, race, religion, sexual orientation, or occupation.
Ivan Bates Elect
Won Mid-term race. Replaces MARILYN J. MOSBY on 1/1/2023.
We are dedicated to continuing to provide services to Marylanders who need assistance with consumer or health billing issues. Our hotlines are operational. Because of the COVID-19 crisis, you may have to leave a message but you will get a response as quickly as possible.
410-528-8662 (Consumer)
410-528-1840 (Health)As a reminder, you can always reach us by email at heau@oag.state.md.us (health care/insurance billing) or consumer@oag.state.md.us (business complaints), or file a complaint through our website.
The office of the Attorney General (AG) consists of 4 divisions:
PROTECTING SENIORS
The largest population in the United States consists of people over the age of 65. Sadly, many seniors and “vulnerable adults” are targets of crimes ranging from telemarketing fraud to patient abuse in nursing home facilities. The resources available from the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division provide important information to Maryland consumers and where to report fraud or abuse.
The Consumer Protection Division pursues asset recovery on behalf of financially exploited senior citizens (aged 68 or older) and vulnerable adults (a person who lacks the physical or mental capacity to provide for their daily needs) by bringing a civil action for damages on their behalf against persons who financially exploited them by way of deception, intimidation, or undue influence. This initiative is the result of legislation effective July 1, 2016. The law is aimed at all abusers who financially exploit seniors or vulnerable adults, including persons who are close to and trusted by the victim (such as family members, caregivers, financial advisors, accountants, or attorneys) as well as complete strangers using phony magazine subscriptions, prize scams, donations to nonexistent charities, and retrieval of personal financial information under false pretenses.
Fraud and Abuse complaints include Telemarketing Fraud, Sweepstakes, Medicaid Fraud/Physical Abuse, End-of-Life Care, and Nursing Homes.
CONSUMER PROTECTION
The Consumer Protection Division provides mediation services to consumers to help resolve complaints against businesses and health insurance carriers. The Division also provides information about complaints that have been filed against businesses, information regarding new home builders or health club registration, and provides publications to help consumers make good decisions in the marketplace.
The Consumer Protection Committee of the Attorney General’s COVID-19 Access to Justice Task Force has developed a website that provides legal information, not legal advice, for individuals who have been sued for a consumer debt of less than $5,000 in a Maryland District Court. This site also offers educational resources for all residents who are interested in finding out more about the debt collection process in Maryland. https://www.debtcollectionmaryland.org/
Sample: Your email has been sent to the Health Education and Advocacy Unit (HEAU) of the Consumer Protection Division to respond. The Health Education and Advocacy Unit assists consumers with healthcare billing disputes, private health insurance problems, and related matters through voluntary mediation. We would like for you to file a complaint so we can help you in your dispute with American Quality Health Products.
ENVIRONMENT
Offshore Drilling – Attorney General Frosh led a coalition of 12 state attorneys generals opposing the federal government’s plans to dramatically expand the scope of offshore drilling for oil and gas, including in waters off the coast of Maryland. In comments submitted to the Department of the Interior, Attorney General Frosh emphasized that our coastal waters are environmentally sensitive and that each phase of exploration carries significant environmental risks—from the testing and drilling needed to locate deposits, to the damage done during extraction and transport of fuels, to the inevitable spills that occur. In the face of massive opposition, the Trump administration ultimately elected not to go forward with its offshore plans.
Endangered Species Act – On July 25, 2018, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service published three proposed rules to amend the Endangered Species Act’s implementing regulations. Attorney General Frosh joined nine other states in commenting on those proposals, which were finalized in August 2019. In September 2019, Attorney General Frosh led a coalition of 17 other state attorneys general and the City of New York in filing a lawsuit opposing the new regulations.
Columbia Gas Pipeline Lawsuit – In January 2019, the Maryland Board of Public Works unanimously voted to deny an easement required for the construction of a natural gas pipeline under the Western Maryland Rail Trail. Columbia Gas Transmission, owned by energy company TransCanada Corp., had requested permission to construct the pipeline.
Chlorpyrifos – Chlorpyrifos is a toxic pesticide that has adverse neurodevelopmental effects, particularly in infants and children. It is widely used, including in the production of fruits and vegetables consumed by millions of Americans. In 2017, EPA issued an order allowing the continued use of chlorpyrifos on food crops, even though EPA’s own scientists were unable to identify a safe level for the pesticide in food. In response, Attorney General Frosh was part of a coalition that obtained a favorable ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Nevertheless, EPA issued a final rule in July 2019 that continued to allow the use of chlorpyrifos.
Attorney General Frosh and other attorneys general again petitioned the Ninth Circuit, arguing that EPA’s final rule was unlawful. Among other things, the lawsuit maintained that EPA had violated the law by allowing the continued use of chlorpyrifos without concluding that any level of chlorpyrifos residue on food is safe and will not harm infants and children. In April 2020, the Ninth Circuit ruled for the states, ordering EPA to either certify that currently-allowed levels of chlorpyrifos are safe, or no longer allow chlorpyrifos to be used on food crops. Please see the press releases below.
Vehicle Emissions and Clean Cars
Vehicle emissions are one of the largest sources of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants, and Attorney General Frosh is working to ensure that cars and trucks continue becoming cleaner. Attorney General Frosh joined other state attorneys general in a successful effort to block the Trump administration from suspending higher penalties on automobile manufacturers that fail to comply with federal fuel efficiency standards. He also was part of a broad multistate coalition challenging the Trump administration’s decision to roll back greenhouse gas emission standards and fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks. Similarly, Attorney General Frosh joined other states in taking on the Trump administration’s attempts to revoke California’s Advanced Clean Car Standards, which Maryland has adopted. Currently, Attorney General Frosh is working with other state attorneys general to push the Biden administration to reverse these regulatory rollbacks and facilitate the transition to cleaner motor vehicles.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Power Plants
Attorney General Frosh joined numerous other states, the District of Columbia, and some of the nation’s largest cities to oppose attempts by the Trump Administration to replace the Clean Power Plan with the “Affordable Clean Energy” (ACE) rule. Adopted by the Obama EPA in 2015, the Clean Power Plan is the first nationwide effort to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from coal- and oil-fired power plants. It is a significant step towards combating the causes of climate change (which poses significant threats to Maryland)—not to mention reducing pollutants that harm our air quality and impair public health. The ACE rule, by contrast, would have done little to reduce such emissions. In a victory for our coalition of litigants, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals held that the ACE rule was unlawful because EPA had taken an improperly narrow view of its authority to regulate power plant emissions.
Volkswagen Litigation
On April 25, 2018, the Office of the Attorney General and the Maryland Department of the Environment entered into a $33.5 million settlement agreement with Volkswagen AG and its affiliates, Audi AG and Porsche AG. The agreement settles an enforcement action brought by MDE for the auto manufacturers’ use of “defeat devices” in certain models of their vehicles in violation of Maryland’s air quality control laws. Specifically, the devices were installed in the model year 2009-2015 diesel engines to ensure that the vehicle’s emissions control performed properly during emissions testing; in real-world driving conditions, however, the device switched off or scaled back the vehicle’s emissions controls—resulting in harmful nitrogen oxide emissions. Under the terms of the agreement, Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche agreed to:
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- Pay a $29 million civil penalty.
- Select a Maryland-based port facility to provide specific logistical and other support to Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.’s U.S. East Coast operations over an estimated five-year term, valued at $4.5 million in addition to the Maryland economy. If those terms are not met, an additional $4.5 million will be added to the civil penalty raising the total liability to $33.5 million.
- Increase the availability of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) in Maryland by introducing three additional battery electric vehicle (BEV) models in Maryland, including the currently available e-Golf BEV or its successor or replacement models through 2019 and, in the event that Volkswagen agrees to offer a new BEV model in the United States between 2020 and 2025, Volkswagen will offer that BEV model (or its successor) in Maryland until at least 2025.
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MTBE
The Office of the Attorney General is representing the State in pursuing claims against petroleum manufacturers who used a chemical additive—methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE)—that has contaminated groundwater throughout Maryland. The Attorney General has assigned a group of Assistant Attorneys General to coordinate this effort, along with a team of Special Counsels who have experience representing New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Puerto Rico in similar litigation. In December 2017, the State filed suit against over 50 manufacturers and suppliers of MTBE, which the Environmental Protection Agency considers a possible carcinogen. The litigation is expected to last several years.
Challenging EPA’s Rollback of Clean Water Protections
Attorney General Frosh has worked with a coalition of attorneys general to challenge the Trump administration’s attempts to weaken federal clean water protections. The Trump administration replaced the “Clean Water Rule”— a regulation that defined the scope of federal jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act and that was designed to ensure the nation’s lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands receive proper federal protection—with the far weaker “Navigable Waters Protection Rule.” Attorney General Frosh joined a multistate coalition challenging the Trump administration’s rule in court. In 2021, the Biden administration announced it would revisit the rule.
Separately, Attorney General Frosh led a series of multistate efforts to ensure that pollution reaching surface waters by way of groundwater can be subject to federal regulation under the Clean Water Act. Attorney General Frosh led a multistate coalition in urging EPA not to abandon its long-held position that such pollution can indeed be subject to Clean Water Act regulation. Then, in a major case considering the question, Attorney General Frosh led a multistate coalition in filing an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to reject EPA’s proposed categorical exception for pollution reaching surface waters via groundwater. The attorneys general pointed out the need for a robust federal regulatory role and the importance of strong protections against degradation in the quality of the nation’s waters. Ultimately, in an opinion that cited the states’ brief, the Supreme Court rejected EPA’s view, thus preserving Clean Water Act jurisdiction over some discharges to navigable waters via groundwater.
Public Safety
Nothing is more important than the safety of Maryland residents. The Office of the Attorney General focuses its resources strategically to build safer streets and communities. From effective joint prosecutions of dangerous criminals to strengthening Maryland’s heroin trafficking efforts by expanding the range of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Heroin Task Force, Attorney General Frosh has worked for greater public safety in all of Maryland’s communities. In a first-of-its-kind effort, he has linked local prosecutors across the state through an initiative that leverages resources in the Office of the Attorney General to tackle complex multi-jurisdictional and multi-defendant cases in organized crime, crimes of exploitation, environmental degradation, and fraud and corruption.
Organized Crime
The Organized Crime Unit handles complex investigations and prosecutions of criminal gang activities, firearms and narcotics trafficking, and violent felonies. Since its inception in the summer of 2015, the Unit has charged nearly 200 defendants for crimes relating to violence, gang participation, drug trafficking, overdoses cases, witness intimidation, obstruction of justice, prison corruption, human trafficking, commercial and serial robberies, carjackings, firearms offenses, pill mills and more.
Environmental Crimes Unit
The Environmental Crimes Unit (ECU) is responsible for the coordination, investigation, and prosecution of criminal environmental violations and other associated criminal charges throughout Maryland. In Fiscal Year 2018, ECU has investigated and /or prosecuted cases involving the stockpiling and dumping of scrap tires; the spilling and discharging of gasoline; the falsification of required lead paint certificates; the intentional discharge of sewage into the waterways; the illegal harvesting oysters in restricted areas; the intentional dumping of significant amounts of solid waste and construction debris; and, the illegal dumping/abandonment of hazardous wastes.
Fraud & Corruption Unit
The Criminal Division’s Fraud and Corruption Unit is responsible for investigating and prosecuting a broad range of criminal offenses, including tax fraud, procurement fraud, insurance fraud, securities crimes, and state employee misconduct.
Independent Investigations Division
The Independent Investigations Division was established after the passage of a package of police reform bills during the 2021 General Assembly session.
In March 2021, the Maryland General Assembly passed SB600 – Maryland Police Accountability Act of 2021, creating the Division within the Office of the Attorney General. The Division is charged with investigating all police-involved incidents that result in the death of a civilian or injuries that are likely to result in the death of a civilian and to provide a report containing detailed investigative findings to the State’s Attorney of the County that has jurisdiction.
Supporting Law Enforcement
The Office of the Attorney General is committed to using its full resources to support the efforts of police and prosecutors throughout the state in the fight against crime. In collaboration with local, state, and federal law enforcement partners, the Criminal Division is responsible for investigating and prosecuting cases in four important areas: fraud and corruption, organized crime, crimes of exploitation, and environmental enforcement. In addition, the Criminal Appeals Division handles all appeals of convictions.
Safeguarding Children
From educating youth, parents, and teachers about the potential hazards of the Internet and social media, to preventing teen smoking, encouraging evidence-based best practices to assist at–risk youth, and reducing juvenile crime, our office is committed to protecting and safeguarding Maryland’s children. Find out more information and other resources on how our office is Safeguarding Children.
Crimes of Exploitation
The Attorney General’s Crimes of Exploitation Task Force seeks to protect against criminals who target vulnerable populations, with investigations involving financial schemes that prey on the elderly; physical and sexual abuse in nursing homes and by health care professionals; to crimes exploiting low-income workers.
Human Trafficking
Attorneys within the Office of the Attorney General have jurisdiction to prosecute human trafficking cases, including exploitation for sex and labor. In 2019, the Maryland General Assembly passed three new laws that support the prosecution of human trafficking cases and increase protections and support for victims. The Child Sex Trafficking Screening and Services Act helps facilitate services for children and young adults at high risk or who are victims of trafficking. The Anti-Exploitation Act makes labor trafficking an illegal act in Maryland, providing penalties up to 25 years in prison for violating the law. The Sex Trafficking Recodification Bill made important changes to already-existing human trafficking laws in Maryland.
If you or someone you know is the victim, or at high risk of becoming a victim, of human trafficking, please visit our Human Trafficking Resources page, for a list of government agencies, legal services, healthcare entities, and non-profit organizations that may be able to help. The 24-hour National Human Trafficking Hotline telephone number is 1-888-373-7888.