State Sen. Ulysses Currie has added prominent Baltimore defense attorney William H. Murphy Jr. to his legal team as the federal investigation into the Prince George's County Democrat has expanded to include inquiries about West Baltimore's Mondawmin Mall.
The Maryland Transit Administration released yesterday a federal grand jury subpoena directing the agency to produce "communications or contacts of any sort with Ulysses Currie or anyone acting on his behalf pertaining to any matters concerning shopping centers or grocery stores to include, but not be limited to, the Mondawmin Mall."
Currie is under investigation by the FBI and the U.S. attorney's office in connection with his previously undisclosed consulting work for Shoppers Food and Pharmacy, a regional grocery chain based in Lanham. In November, a Shoppers store opened at Mondawmin as part of a redevelopment of the mall, which had been declining in recent years.
John P. Cahalan, a spokesman for the Maryland Department of Transportation, said yesterday that a grand jury subpoena was also received by the Motor Vehicle Administration, which has a branch office at Mondawmin. That subpoena also requests information relating to Currie, Shoppers, other grocery stores and Mondawmin, Cahalan said.
The State Highway Administration also released yesterday a federal subpoena requesting documents relating to Shoppers and to Currie. All three subpoenas to divisions of the Department of Transportation were sent June 6 and demand a response by June 25. The agencies are working to comply with the requests, Cahalan said.
In addition to former federal prosecutor turned defense attorney Dale Kelberman, Currie has recently retained well-known Baltimore attorney Murphy as legal counsel.
"All great men deserve at least two great lawyers," Murphy said yesterday. The attorney, a longtime friend of Currie's, predicted his client would be exonerated. "When the dust settles, they will find Senator Currie has not committed any criminal conduct at all."
In the meantime, Currie - whose District Heights home was raided by the FBI late last month - appears concerned about mounting legal bills.
"May I use my campaign funds to pay my legal counsel during the course of this investigation?" Currie asked in a June 12 letter to Jared DeMarinis, the director of the campaign finance division of the Maryland State Board of Elections.
