The FBI is investigating Sen. Ulysses Currie, a leading Prince George's County Democrat, in connection with his consulting work for Shoppers Food & Pharmacy, a spokeswoman for parent company Supervalu in Minnesota said yesterday.
Richard Wolf, an FBI spokesman in Baltimore, said that agents visited Currie's District Heights home yesterday afternoon after also serving a search warrant at Shoppers Food Warehouse's corporate headquarters in Lanham. "It's an ongoing investigation," said Wolf, who declined to provide additional information.
Haley M. Meyer, the Supervalu spokeswoman, said Currie is an "outside consultant" for Shoppers Food, but she declined to elaborate about the work that the 70-year-old chairman of the powerful Budget and Taxation Committee performed for the company.
Shoppers Food & Pharmacy has more than 60 supermarkets in Baltimore, Northern Virginia and Washington. The parent company, Supervalu, has made about $7,500 in political contributions to Currie since 2004, as well as donations to other Maryland politicians, including Gov. Martin O'Malley, a Democrat, and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller.
"Shoppers Food & Pharmacy and Supervalu were contacted this morning as part of an FBI investigation," said Meyer in a statement. "The FBI has told us that they are working on an investigation related to one of our service providers. We are cooperating fully with the FBI and cannot provide additional detail at this time."
Last night, Currie told reporters in the driveway outside his home that he had met yesterday with attorney Dale Kelberman in Baltimore. "The lawyer asked me to allow him to make a comment," Currie said. Kelberman, a former federal prosecutor, did not respond to a request seeking comment.
Miller did not return calls yesterday afternoon, and his aide, Vicki Gruber, said he would have no comment.
The revelation yesterday afternoon of an FBI investigation into Currie left many Annapolis politicians and lobbyists confused about what might be under scrutiny. Many declined to comment yesterday, saying they did not know any details and were unaware of a specific relationship between Currie and Shoppers Food.
Currie told reporters that FBI agents greeted him when he walked out of his home about 6:30 a.m. yesterday. He said he had not talked to the FBI before and has not been charged with a crime.
Currie said he left home, while the agents remained there. He said there were "at least eight, nine, 10" agents at his home.
