BALTIMORE (WBFF) — Leaders from the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, MONSE, faced scrutiny from the City Council as questions about the agency’s oversight and record-keeping practices after an inspector general report detailing fraudulent invoices and leaked sensitive information connected to a youth diversion program.
The city council’s public safety committee, chaired by Mark Conway, questioned MONSE and the Office of Inspector General about the latest findings. SideStep was a youth diversion program piloted in the Western Police District aimed at pre-arrest division for young people accused of certain offenses.
Inspector General Isabel Cumming and her team presented findings from their investigation into Sidestep that revealed fraudulent invoices connected to at least two community-based organizations, or nonprofits, that were implementing the SideStep program.
MONSE Director Stefanie Mavronis told members of the committee the agency implemented fiscal and program oversight layers to ensure accountability moving forward.
“We take taxpayer dollars very seriously,” Mavronis said.
FOX45 News asked how fraudulent invoices made it through the MONSE vetting process. Instead, Mavronis argued MONSE doesn’t know who the nonprofits are connected to the fraudulent invoices, rather that information wasn’t made available to them from the OIG. However, the OIG argued MONSE has the necessary information.
“If an organization submitted fraudulent documentation and took steps to do things to allow them to get a reimbursement that was unwarranted, that is extremely problematic,” Mavronis explained.
When exactly the SideStep program was put on ice was a point of contention throughout the hearing. Mavronis told council members the youth diversion program ended in the fall of 2024; however, the program by name was mentioned in Mayor Brandon Scott’s 2026 legislative priorities for the General Assembly.
MONSE also hired an outside evaluator to review SideStep, and the report was finalized in December 2023. The findings suggested SideStep should not be expanded. In June 2025, “MONSE spoke before this council during budget hearings and talked about planned SideStep expansion, but report was never discussed,” staff from the OIG told the committee.
“I think it’s moving in the right direction,” Conway said when asked whether he believes the additional accountability layers have been implemented by MONSE. “But until we know the problem, we can’t say that we have a sufficient solution.”
Tuesday’s hearing comes amid the ongoing battle between the city’s watchdog and Mayor Scott’s office over access to information stemming from the SideStep investigation. Inspector General Isabel Cumming sued City Hall after subpoenas from information went unanswered.
“We wouldn’t know any of this if she hadn’t done her reports, and it tells me that we need to make sure she continues to have access,” Conway said.
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