Baltimore County man pleads guilty to $417K in bribery, fraud, and theft

BALTIMORE (WBFF) — A Baltimore County man pleaded guilty to eight charges including bribery, procurement fraud, and felony theft, the Maryland Attorney General’s Office announced Friday.

Walter O’Riley Poindexter, 51, of Windsor Mill, pleaded guilty in Baltimore County Circuit Court to to eight charges arising from multiple schemes to fraudulently obtain Maryland state public contracts and funds.

Through the schemes, Poindexter stole a total of $417,451 and attempted to steal another $92,672.

“Marylanders trust that State contracts and relief programs serve the public, not line fraudsters’ pockets,” said Attorney General Anthony G. Brown. “My Office remains committed to holding accountable those who exploit that trust.”

From 2020 to 2024, Poindexter fraudulently obtained cleaning contracts for Maryland Department of Labor facilities, grants from the Port of Baltimore Worker Retention Program, and unemployment insurance benefits.

He also attempted to fraudulently obtain a state income tax refund.

Poindexter pleaded guilty to the following charges:

• Three counts of procurement fraud and one count of bribery in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain Maryland state COVID-related cleaning contracts.
• One count of theft for $97,500, and one count of attempted theft for $82,500 for his role in a separate scheme to defraud the Maryland Department of Labor’s Port of Baltimore Worker Retention Program.
• One count of theft for fraudulently obtaining $15,112 in unemployment insurance benefits from the Maryland Department of Labor in 2021, and one count of attempted theft for attempting to fraudulently obtain a state income tax refund of $10,172 in 2023.

Poindexter is scheduled to be sentenced in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County on Jan. 29, 2027.