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Baltimore Inspector General Flags Suspected Fraud and Juvenile Data Breach in MONSE’s SideStep Program

The findings are now with law enforcement, with MONSE conducting an internal audit that has found no misuse of exposed data.

Overview

  • The 48-page OIG report alleges fraudulent invoices tied to MONSE’s SideStep youth diversion pilot, noting $694,000 in payments and referring the matter to law enforcement.
  • A MONSE employee emailed a diversion table with roughly 701 names, many of them juveniles, to a personal Gmail account that appeared to belong to a relative.
  • The exposed list covered cases from 2018 through September 2022 and included sensitive details such as dates of birth and charges.
  • MONSE says it has tightened management standards, is auditing the data exposure, supports further charges for the breach, and has found no evidence of malicious use so far.
  • Mayor Brandon Scott says the city was a victim of the alleged fraud and notes the program has ended, as Inspector General Isabel Cumming counters that many financial records remain redacted despite OIG finding instances of fraud.