1.8M found in state audit flags repeated spending issues at Maryland AG’s office

MARYLAND (WBFF) — A new state audit is casting doubt on how Maryland’s Attorney General’s Office handles millions of dollars in taxpayer money.

The audit found that the Attorney General’s Office spent $1.8 million on a case management computer system that was never fully put in place when its contract ended in 2025. On top of that, the office paid $475,000 in extra implementation costs ahead of schedule.

David Williams, President of The Taxpayers Protection Alliance said “There was no oversight. And moving forward, there needs to be a lot more. And this is a lot of money. And when you have a state that is in deficit conditions and a state, that’s approaching the $3 billion deficit, every bit of expenditure has to be overseen.”

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The audit also uncovered $62.6 million in payments to law firms where the state could not clearly track what was being spent on outside legal services. Additionally, auditors found 11 contract awards totaling $4.2 million that were never posted publicly as required.

“That was the first waste of taxpayer dollars. And you have a system that was supposed to track spending in other agencies, so you’re compounding the problem,” said Williams.

The state audit noted that many of the problems identified were not new. “The AG should lead by example. And when they go after people for not following the law, they have to do it themselves,” said Williams. In response, Attorney General Anthony Brown’s office agreed with all four audit recommendations and is starting to make changes, although some fixes may not be done until the end of 2027.

Auditors stopped short of saying any money was stolen or that all of it was wasted. However, the report highlighted ongoing questions about how public money is being watched and if the Attorney General’s Office will deliver on its promise to solve these issues.