Baltimore mayor spent $52k of city money attending orioles and ravens games $11. 5 million waste probe finds

Inspector General report cites policy violations, food and flower purchases, and delayed reconciliations from July 2022 to November 2025.

Baltimore, Md. – A new report from the Baltimore Office of the Inspector General found that the Mayor’s Office spent more than $11.5 million in Workday and procurement card transactions between July 1, 2022 and November 17, 2025, including 336 purchases that required — but did not receive — mandatory approval waivers.

The investigation, launched in April after complaints about taxpayer-funded food purchases and internal celebrations, identified $167,455.06 in P-Card transactions that lacked required Bureau of Procurement waivers. Of those, 295 transactions were related to food or catering.

Key Points

OIG identified 336 P-Card transactions totaling $167,455.06 without required waivers.
Mayor’s Office spent $52,588.78 on food and beverages at Orioles and Ravens games.
Total Workday and P-Card expenditures reviewed exceeded $11.5 million.

According to the OIG synopsis, certain items — including food and flowers — cannot be purchased with a City procurement card without an approved waiver from the Bureau of Procurement. The report states that flowers are prohibited under all versions of the City’s P-Card manual.

Investigators also found purchases tied to birthday celebrations, employee appreciation events, baby showers, and flowers for select individuals, including executive leadership. Email correspondence reviewed during the investigation referenced a request for a “fresh fruit tray available to everyone in the mayor’s suite daily.”

Breakdown of spending categories

The OIG reviewed P-Card transactions and Workday expenditures for current mayoral P-Card holders during the three-year period. The spending breakdown includes:

$5,378,572.00 for City Fiscal Sponsor payments
$2,388,375.00 for Sponsorships/Grants
$1,232,612.67 for Dues/Subscriptions/Memberships
$568,413.48 for Food/Catering
$310,784.89 for Decoration/Entertainment
$268,487.31 for Staffing/Fellowships/Salaries/Tuition
$256,431.94 for Training and Education
$187,272.10 for Awards/Promotional/Apparel

Additional expenditures included media and advertising, software and technology, graphics and printing, parking, consulting and legal services, artists and guests, photography, transportation, flowers, and portable restroom services. The total reviewed spending amounted to $11,557,692.43.

The report also found that as of November 17, 2025, the Mayor’s Office had $45,646.38 in P-Card charges that remained unreconciled.

Stadium suite spending and oversight concerns

The OIG determined that approximately $52,588.78 in taxpayer funds were spent on food and beverages during Baltimore Orioles and Baltimore Ravens games when the Mayor or staff attended events in the mayoral suite at both stadiums. Witnesses told investigators that similar practices occurred under prior administrations.

The investigation highlighted structural oversight challenges within the Bureau of Procurement. The report states that one program coordinator is responsible for auditing more than 200 P-Card holders citywide. Since June 2022, the City has processed more than $36 million in P-Card transactions across all agencies.

According to the OIG, it can take six to eight months for delayed reconciliations to be detected due to workload constraints.

The Inspector General recommended additional oversight resources and updates to the City’s Expenditure Authorization policies to better align with the Workday system and strengthen purchasing compliance.

The synopsis released publicly is a condensed version of a more comprehensive investigative report provided to City management officials. The OIG’s office stated that its mission is to promote accountability, efficiency and integrity in Baltimore City government and to investigate complaints of fraud, waste and abuse.

Tags: Baltimore, [Brandon Scott](https://www.shorenewsnetwork.com/tag/Brandon Scott), [Inspector General](https://www.shorenewsnetwork.com/tag/Inspector General)

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