Disgraced Senator Nathaniel Oaks To Serve 3.5 Years In Prison

BALTIMORE, MD — A former Maryland State Senator was sentenced to 42 months in prison for two counts of wire fraud. He admitted to accepting bribes from a developer who turned out to be an FBI informant, officials said.

Nathaniel Thomas Oaks, 71, of Baltimore, was sentenced on Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennet to three and a half years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised probation upon his release.

Oaks must also pay a $30,000 fine and perform 80 hours of community service.

"Today’s sentence and our prosecution of former Maryland Senator Nathaniel Oaks demonstrate that we will hold accountable those elected officials who use their offices to enrich themselves, rather than serve the interests of their constituents," U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur said in a statement. "Our democratic system relies on the integrity of our elected officials."

Oaks resigned from his post as a state delegate before entering his guilty plea in federal court in March.

Once he pleaded guilty, he faced a maximum of 40 years in prison, up to 20 years for one count of wire fraud and 20 years for one count of honest services wire fraud.

He will serve his sentence starting in September, WBAL reported.

The conviction and sentencing came as the result of the politician's actions in 2016.

From April to September 2016, Oaks admitted he accepted payments totaling more than $15,000 from an FBI informant posing as a developer in exchange for using his position to help obtain federal funds. Oaks was a Maryland state delegate at the time.

On his official Maryland House of Delegates letterhead, Oaks knowingly sent two letters in 2016 supporting a Housing and Urban Development (HUD) project in Baltimore City and was allegedly paid $10,300 for his assistance in the matter, the U.S. Attorney said in a statement.

Authorities said they tried to use Oaks in another investigation that he compromised. Although he said that he would cooperate, he admitted in his guilty plea that he approached one of the targets of the investigation at an Annapolis bar and tipped him off on St. Patrick's Day 2017, stating: "...what we talked about, just say no," to keep the person from participating in the activity that was the subject of the investigation. He also approached the person in a government building in Annapolis and said: "I'm going to ask you for something; just say no," officials said.

Federal prosecutors said that as a result of his actions, Oaks made the investigation, which may have involved other politicians, no longer viable.

• Senator Nathaniel Thomas Oaks Resigns
• Maryland Politician Charged For Accepting Money From 'Developer,' U.S. Attorney Says

This is not the first time the politician's finances have come under scrutiny.

Oaks was a delegate in 1988 when he was convicted of stealing thousands of dollars from his reelection fund in Baltimore City Circuit Court. He was given a five-year suspended sentence plus three years of probation and had to pay $1,000 and do 500 hours of community service. He lost his seat as a delegate due to a conviction on charges of theft and misconduct in office.

Photo courtesy of Maryland State Archives.