Maryland Politician Charged For Accepting Money From 'Developer': U.S. Attorney

BALTIMORE, MD — A Maryland lawmaker is charged with federal wire fraud after an undercover operation revealed that he allegedly accepted thousands of dollars from a developer for using his position to influence business decisions, according to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland.

From April to September 2016, Senator Nathaniel Thomas Oaks, 70, allegedly accepted payments from a source from the FBI posing as a developer. The FBI person was representing an actual business run by a "cooperating defendant who is assisting the FBI with the investigation," the U.S. Attorney said.

At the time, Oaks was serving in the Maryland House of Delegates.

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.

Oaks was also recorded in several telephone conversations discussing his need for money, according to the criminal complaint.

The affidavit alleges that the "developer" made a $5,000 cash payment to Oaks the day he filed a bond bill with the Maryland Department of Legislative Services requesting $250,000 for the project.

The FBI supplied the money paid to Oaks during the investigation, and audio/video recording equipment was used, according to officials.

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

Oaks was a delegate from 1994 until February, when he was appointed to the Maryland Senate for a seat in the same district — District 41 (Baltimore City) — after Senator Lisa Gladden resigned for health reasons.

But he had another run as a delegate decades prior; Oaks had served in the House of Delegates from 1983 to 1989. In 1988 Oaks was convicted for 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.

Oaks was slated to appear in U.S. District Court in Baltimore at 4 p.m. on Friday, April 7. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison if convicted.

Photo of Nathaniel T. Oaks via Public Domain.