Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson suspended after audit

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, Md. (7News) — The spokesperson for the Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office has been suspended after an audit found she may have used tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars from grant money designated for her nonprofit organization for her own personal profit.

Sheriff John D.B. Carr also told 7News his office has launched an internal affairs investigation.

“Sheriff Carr said he is concerned by the allegations raised in the February audit involving Sheriff’s Office communications staff member Romaine Taylor Thomas McNair,” according to a statement from Carr’s office. “I expect all personnel to uphold those principles and to serve the residents of Prince George’s County with integrity.”

According to the audit, Taylor Thomas ran The Better Family, Inc., nonprofit, which received $68,500 in county grant money over a two-year span from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2024, with $56,000 of those funds awarded to her while she was a county employee.

In 2024, around half of the nonprofit’s revenue came from county grants.

“During our audit, we noted several matters involving the grant funding provided to The Better Family, Inc. that are cause for concern,” the report said. “Based upon the extent of the findings outlined in this report, we recommend the discontinuance of County grant funding to The Better Family, Inc., at this time.”

The audit uncovered 10 transactions totaling more than $24,000 using the grant money that may not have been used for the nonprofit’s services, $5,750 of which were actually paid to the side business she owns, the for-profit company Wedding Bliss.

Instead, auditors found evidence Thomas used this money for personal use, or just deposited the funds into her personal bank account instead of the nonprofit’s account.

The following are part of the $24,000 of questionable expenses:

• Oak Creek Golf Club, a ticketed event for its Golf Classic Program ($6,155).
• Partial payment for Sister 2 Sister fundraiser luncheon ($5,000).
• Radio advertisement for Wedding Bliss event ($5,000).
• Payment for scholarship fundraiser luncheon ticketed event ($4,000).
• Payment for Sister 2 Sister fundraiser luncheon ($1,500).
• Payment for scholarship fundraiser luncheon ticketed event ($1,000).
• Payment for photography services for the Wedding Bliss event ($750).
• Marriott Hotel stay for its Sister 2 Sister fundraiser luncheon, – a ticketed event in Richmond, VA, that is hosted by the organization ($344).
• Southwest Airlines, airfare to attend an AKA sorority membership conference ($343).

The report stated Thomas deposited $12,500 into her personal bank account, which they could not trace to the nonprofit’s bank statements. Thomas later confirmed to auditors she transferred these funds to her own account.

Additionally, The Better Family, Inc., states it doles out scholarships.

However, auditors could not find documentation, like transcripts and proof of school enrollment, for $2,350 in scholarships handed out in 2023.

The organization also reported in its 2024 application it was planning on spending $20,000 in grant money for additional scholarships, but auditors found none were awarded that year.

Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Taylor Thomas has been suspended after an audit found she may have used taxpayer-funded grants for her own personal uses, including paying her side business. (7News)

Prince George’s County Council Member Jolene Ivey said misuse of tax dollars like this comes at a cost: distrust in government.

“When they say they’re going to do something specific like give money to kids for scholarships, you believe them,” Ivey said. “We shouldn’t be putting ourselves in the position where the public has got reason to question us because 99.9 % of the time we really are funding organizations that are doing great work in the community, and we don’t want people to feel like that isn’t happening.”

Possible misuse of grant funds was not all that auditors found.

They also learned she had not disclosed that she was working for the county to the Office of Ethics and Accountability to review for potential conflicts of interest.

“If this is true, it’s very serious. I have to fill out a secondary employment form for things that I do to serve on a board, even though I’m not getting paid for it. My employees at my office, my staff, they have to do the same thing. So it seems that she should know that she has to do that,” Ivey said.

Additionally, Thomas did not provide the required performance reports for the eight grants her organization received.

7News emailed and called the phone number listed for The Better Family, Inc., but nobody has responded as of publication.

The audit made three recommendations:

1. Discontinue awarding The Better Family, Inc. grant funding until the findings noted in the report are remediated.
2. Require a refund of any grant funds awarded when an organization is not in compliance with the terms and conditions of the grant award, including funds expended for personal use and other unallowable expenses.
3. Prior to considering the organization for future non-departmental grant awards, the Prince George’s County Government should require The Better Family, Inc. to obtain the Standards of Excellence Accreditation and Recognition (Basics Enhanced Tier or above) as evidence of the organization’s accountability, openness, and commitment to best practices in governance and management.

“We all need to do everything we can to make sure we’re protecting the public, and there are nonprofits that are getting way more than $68,000, and I think they should get a heightened level of scrutiny,” Ivey said. “The best thing we can do is be as transparent as possible, and having reports like this, I think it helps. At least it was found, and action was taken.”

7News also reached out to Prince George’s County Council Chair Krystal Oriadha.

“The residents of Prince George’s County deserve to know that public dollars are being protected, monitored, and used responsibly. That is exactly why the County Council maintains oversight mechanisms, including audits and compliance reviews of organizations that receive public funding,” Oriadha said in a statement. “When concerns are identified through audits, financial reviews, or compliance investigations, action is taken. As part of that process, organizations found to have significant financial management concerns, misuse of funds, or compliance failures can be placed on the County’s restricted or ‘no-fund’ list, making them ineligible for future County funding until issues are resolved. In this case, the organization in question has been on that list since the audit findings were completed and reviewed.”