Maryland U.S. Senate nominee Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) saved thousands of dollars by taking advantage of tax breaks she did not qualify for, CNN reported Sunday.
For more than a decade, Alsobrooks, who serves as Prince George’s County Executive, claimed the homestead tax exemption for two properties in Washington, D.C., and Maryland, CNN reported. The exemption only applies to a person’s primary residence.
Alsobrooks’ use of the exception violated both state and local tax relief requirements, according to a CNN analysis of Alsobrooks’ property records and tax bills.
Alsobrooks became Prince George’s County’s first female county executive in 2018 after serving as the state’s attorney in the county from 2011 to 2018.
In May 2023, she announced her bid to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.). Alsobrooks won the Democratic nomination for the Senate seat in May and is slated to face former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R-Md.) in November’s general election.
CNN also found that Alsobrooks “improperly claimed” a senior citizens’ tax break on her Washington, D.C., property, which reduced her tax bill by half. Though Alsobrooks never qualified for the tax break, her grandparents — who owned the property before her — likely did, CNN reported.
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In a statement to The Diamondback on Sunday, Alsobrooks’ senior adviser Connor Lounsbury said that after the county executive’s grandmother moved out of her Washington, D.C., home, Alsobrooks paid the property’s mortgage until it was sold in 2018.
Having a family member move out of their home can be a “difficult and complex” process, Lounsbury said in the statement.
“[Alsobrooks] was unaware of any tax credits attached to that property and has reached out to the District of Columbia to resolve the issue and make any necessary payment,” the statement said.
A 2011 Baltimore Sun investigation found that hundreds of Baltimore City homeowners were improperly receiving homestead tax credits on second homes and rentals. The recipients included current Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a Baltimore resident at the time.
Many homeowners, including Moore, said they did not realize they received a discount, the investigation found.
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Between 2005 and 2017, Alsobrooks saved nearly $14,000 in taxes on her Washington, D.C., property by using tax exemptions meant for the district’s primary residents, low-income residents and senior citizens, according to the CNN report. CNN found that Alsobrooks had been registered to vote in Prince George’s County since 1995.
State records also show that Alsobrooks applied for and received a homestead exemption in 2008 for a Prince George’s County townhouse she bought in 2005, CNN reported. Although it is unclear when, Alsobrooks eventually began to rent out the property and continued to receive exemptions meant for an individual’s primary residence, CNN reported.
Alsobrooks bought another Prince George’s County home in 2014 that is listed as her primary residence on her mortgage, CNN reported. She did not transfer her homestead tax credit from her previous home, according to Lounsbury. The transaction resulted in “no financial gain” for Alsobrooks, Lounsbury said in the statement.
“[Alsobrooks] is working to repay any credits received on the old property,” the statement said.
Alsobrooks is scheduled to debate Hogan on Oct. 10 in Owings Mills.