PGCo, Did You Know…

Janitor at DuVal High School busted for having sexual relationship with 15-year old student, Bowie Council considering indoor sports facility, Tax prepares permanently banned for fraud,  County Exec. Baker nominates those to head up 3 key Agencies

Steven Ray Poe (pictured to the right wearing red like the devil), 36-years-old, of the 9700 block of Good Luck Road in Lanham was arrested in connection with an inappropriate sexual relationship involving a 15-year-old girl in Lanham.  You nasty, dirty, dumb thing.  Uuuurgh. The victim alleges that between April and June 2013, Poe had inappropriate sexual contact with her at least 3 times in the janitor’s closet at off DuVal High and at Poe’s home.  The victim is a student at DuVal; Poe works there as a janitor. The victim’s mother discovered text messages from Poe to her daughter and the victim told her mother of the relationship.  The mother contacted police. Police officers arrested Poe without incident at his home on June 9, 2013. He faces charges of third degree sex offense and second degree assault. Poe remains in custody at the Department of Corrections on a $20,000 bond.
The Bowie Council is debating just what kind of sports facility, which I think is a great idea, they should bring to the city.  From the Bowie Patch, “The Sports Facilities Advisory Group, a consultant hired by the city, has been working to gather data from city residents about the type of indoor sports facility best suited to the city.

The considered five options:

• A 52,500 square foot turf facility, with two 200’ x 100’ turf fields, six batting cages, a separate baseball training area and administrative space. Land required would total 3.1 acres. Estimated cost: $5.5 to $6.2 million
• A 66,000 square court facility, with four basketball courts, six volleyball courts and administrative space. Land required would total 4 acres. Estimated cost: $7.9 to $8.7 million
• A 70,000 square foot ice facility—replacing the current ice facility—that would have one NHL-sized rink, one Olympic-sized rink, locker rooms, stadium seating, a pro shop, separate women’s locker rooms and administrative space. Land required would total 4.2 acres. Estimated cost: $10.5 to $11.6 million
• A 41,000 square foot aquatics facility, with a 50 meter competition pool, locker rooms, spectator seating, family changing rooms and administrative space. Land required would total 2.5 acres. Estimated cost: $6.9 to $7.6 million
• An 11,500 general administration building that would include a cafe with seating, general space and divisible multi purpose rooms. Land required would total .5 acres. Estimated cost: $1.6 to $2.0 million

Suggested locations for the facilities include Annapolis Road, Green Branch, Glen Allen, Mitchellville Road and Race Track Road.  Based on residents feedback, consultants recommend city consider facilities in this order: courts, aquatic facility, ice facility and turf fields.

Two federal judges in separate cases entered orders permanently barring Marvin Binion Sr., his son Marvin Binion II, Binion Sr.’s ex-wife Tonya Hubbard and her firm Universal Tax Service LLC (located at 9332 Annapolis Rd in Lanham) from preparing tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today.  The government alleged that Hubbard and the Binions charged customers a return-preparation fee of $300 and that the Binions may have earned as much as $30,000 per day preparing fraudulent returns.

The two government complaints, one against the Binions and one against Hubbard and her firm, alleged that the defendants prepared fraudulent tax returns for customers containing bogus deductions for items like charitable contributions, unreimbursed employee business expenses and other miscellaneous expenses. The lawsuits also alleged that Hubbard, Universal Tax Service LLC and the Binions violated federal law by not signing the returns they prepared for customers and by not placing IRS preparer identification numbers on the returns. All tax preparers are required to place an IRS-issued tax preparer identification number on every federal income tax return they prepare for a customer.

According to the complaints the defendants prepared customer returns using commercial tax software, placed the returns in postage-paid pre-addressed envelopes and instructed customers to sign and mail the returns to the IRS on their own. The suits alleged that defendants did this to hide from the IRS their role in preparing the returns.

The new Department of Permits, Inspection, and Enforcement is key to this county drawing businesses to the area.  Loads of complaints have been lodged regarding the convoluted permit process for business so the fire is under these three to make something good happen.  From the Washington Post, “Baker nominated Haitham A. Hijazi, a Syrian-born engineer whose career in Prince George’s County government has spanned 20 years, to head the agency, known as the Department of Permits, Inspections and Enforcement. The agency, which is expected to have an annual budget of about $7.8 million, will be headquartered in Largo near the public works department and the environment department.

 Baker (D) also tapped Darrell B. Mobley to replace Hijazi as director of the county’s $36 million Department of Public Works and Transportation. Since August, Mobley has been Maryland’s acting transportation secretary.  And Baker nominated Adam C. Ortiz, acting head since October of the county’s $145 million Department of Environmental Resources, to be the environment agency’s permanent director.  The nominations are subject to approval by the County Council, which could act before recessing in early August for its annual summer break.