Oliver, a former head of the county planning board, is the first African-American to serve on the Baltimore County Council. He was re-elected to his seat, representing the Woodlawn and Randallstown areas, in 2006.
A commercial lender with an MBA in finance from Morgan State University, Oliver raised $18,300 during his 2006 campaign, according to state records.
A criminal summons has been issued but not served, and no court date has been set, the state prosecutor's office said.
Ryan O'Donnell, executive director of Common Cause Maryland, issued a statement: "At first glance, this indictment reflects a glaring lack of judgment. On second glance, it also reveals a shocking apathy toward the public trust that was originally placed in Councilman Oliver by his donors. While we need to reserve final judgment and let the councilman defend himself in court, there's no denying how bad this looks."
Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith Jr. said he was "saddened by the news and will withhold judgment until the matter is resolved by the courts."
According to the indictment, Oliver admitted writing checks for his personal use in a letter to the board Feb. 7, a week after an article about the checks appeared in The Towson Times.
The first of the $2,000 checks was written by Oliver in November 2007, with a memo line that reads "loan repayment" and made payable to his wife, Thelma Oliver. The check was endorsed in the name of Thelma Oliver and deposited in Kenneth Oliver's personal bank account, according to the indictment. Thelma Oliver has not been charged.
Last January, Kenneth Oliver wrote another $2,000 check on the campaign committee's bank account, this time made payable to himself, according to the indictment. Oliver cashed the check that day, the indictment says.
The first loan was made six days after Oliver lost his job at the Harbor Bank, the Towson Times reported. Although Oliver reimbursed his campaign for the checks, the law considers it "misappropriation of funds and theft at the time of the taking," said Shelly Glenn, a senior assistant state prosecutor.
