Former Prince George's County State Delegate Sentenced 4 Years For Accepting Bribes, Conspiracy
GREENBELT, Md. (WJZ) — Former Maryland State Delegate Michael Lynn Vaughn, 60, of Bowie, Md., was sentenced Tuesday to four years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for a bribery conspiracy in connection with a scheme where he accepted bribes in exchange for influencing the performance of his official duties.
A federal jury convicted Vaughn of conspiracy and four counts of bribery on March 1.
The government also presented evidence during Tuesday's sentencing hearing that Vaughn stole campaign funds from early 2005 through 2016, totaling over $100,000.
"We expect our elected officials to place the interests of the citizens above their own," said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. "When they violate the trust placed in them and break the law, the U.S. Attorney's Office will bring them to justice,"
According to court documents and evidence presented at his two-week trial, Vaughn was a Maryland State Delegate from January 2003 until January 2017, representing District 24, which covered portions of Prince George's County, Md.
He was also Deputy Majority Whip and a member of the Economic Matters Committee.
According to evidence, Vaughn conspired with former PG County Liquor Board member and later, Chief Liquor Inspector, David Dae Sok Son, liquor store owners Young Jung Paig, Shin Ja Lee and others in order to enrich himself personally, in exchange for Vaughn performing and agreeing to perform favorable official action.
Vaughn took $19,000 in cash bribe payments from Paig, Lee and others, in exchange for influencing and voting for the 2015 Sunday Sales Bill, which established up to 100 Sunday liquor sales permits in PG County for holders of Class A and Class B licenses with an off-sale privilege, and the related Additional Sunday Permits Bill, both of which became Maryland law.
Vaughn voted in favor of the bills, which benefited Paig and Lee's liquor stores.
According to court documents and information presented in Tuesday's hearing, from early 2005 to 2016, Vaughn diverted money donated to his campaign finance committee, Friends of Michael Vaughn, for his personal use, totaling over $100,000.
A candidate, such as Vaughn, is prohibited from personally making disbursements from a political committee established to promote his candidacy.
Vaughn personally withdrew campaign funds from the FOMV account to use for personal expenses, including making payments to his personal credit card account and making payments of his personal income tax to the IRS.
Vaughn also admitted to stealing funds from his campaign account and spending them on things including his personal mortgage, his son's school tuition and credit card bills.
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