Attorney General’s Office Obtains Ninth Conviction Arising from Corruption Investigation at UMBC Construction Services
Former President of G.E. Tignall & Co., Inc enters guilty plea

BALTIMORE, MD (November 24, 2008) –Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler announced today that a ninth person has been convicted in his office’s continuing corruption investigation involving construction projects at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). Michael Harper, the former president of G.E. Tignall & Co., Inc., a Baltimore area commercial construction firm, entered a guilty plea on November 20, 2008, and was convicted by Baltimore County Circuit Court Judge John Grason Turnbull, II, of conspiracy to steal $34, 687.00 from UMBC. Sentencing for Harper is scheduled for March 2, 2009.

From April 3, 2003 through to July 31, 2003, Michael Harper, a subcontractor, and Joseph "Don" Cheek, George Alinsod and Andrew Reider all of UMBC Construction Services, agreed to participate in a scheme to steal $34,687.24 from UMBC by creating and submitting for payment by UMBC, a fictitious invoice on the construction project at UMBC known as the Patapsco Hall HVAC renovation. The proceeds of the scheme paid for kitchen cabinets and bathroom fixtures that George Alinsod had selected for installation in his Catonsville area home.

The case was investigated and prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Criminal Division with the assistance of the Maryland State Police, UMBC officials, and the University System of Maryland Internal Audit Office.