Ex-PG County official, accountant charged with conspiracy, bribery

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A Prince George's County grand jury indicted a former county official and an Upper Marlboro accountant yesterday on charges of conspiracy, bribery and felony theft in a $250,000 shakedown of a county contractor.

Robert L. Thomas, former deputy director of Prince George's County Department of Central Services, and accountant Paul L. Wright are accused of soliciting the $250,000 bribe to award a contract to install security systems at two county government buildings.

However, Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson criticized the six-month grand jury probe and the "ineptitude" of prosecutors led by Maryland State Prosecutor Robert A. Rohrbaugh, whose office's sole responsibility is to investigate government corruption in the state.

The county executive said Mr. Rohrbaugh improperly extended the investigation to areas "that had nothing to do with these little bribes."

"The prosecutor just went on a fishing expedition beyond any facts," he said. "He went and he dragged my entire staff before the grand jury, allowed the insinuation that there was corruption in my government."

Mr. Johnson, a former state's attorney for the county, said he was not challenging the grand jury's findings. He insisted, however, that his administration was free of corruption.

When told of Mr. Johnson's remarks, Mr. Rohrbaugh declined to respond.

He did say the investigation is continuing.

The three-count indictment also named as a co-conspirator Robert L. Isom, a former deputy director of the county's Environmental Resources Department and a one-time candidate for County Council. He was not charged.

Isom, 69, pleaded guilty in September to conspiring to soliciting the bribe last year from Interior Systems Inc., a D.C. firm that was designated as a minority subcontractor for ADT/Tyco to provide the security systems.