GREENBELT, Md. (August 09, 2017)—On August 7, 2017, a federal grand jury indicted Anuj Sud, age 39, of Hyattsville, Maryland, on charges related to a bribery conspiracy. Sud allegedly solicited and accepted bribes in the performance of his official duties in Prince George's County.
The indictment was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Stephen M. Schenning; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Thomas Jankowski of the Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office; and Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George's County Police Department.
Sud was a Liquor Board Commissioner and has been a licensed attorney in Maryland since 2005, with offices in College Park. According to court documents, in September 2015, Sud solicited bribes from a lobbyist in exchange for Sud's assistance with liquor board matters. At a subsequent meeting, Sud and the lobbyist discussed Sud voting favorably in two upcoming hearings concerning the lobbyist's clients, in exchange for money. The lobbyist advised that the hearings would take place on December 2 and December 15, 2015. At each of the hearings, Sud took favorable action on behalf of the lobbyist's client. Following each hearing, the lobbyist met with Sud and gave Sud $1,000 cash for Sud's assistance. Similarly, on November 30, 2016, Sud received a $1,000 bribe payment in exchange for taking favorable action on behalf of the lobbyist's client.
Sud was charged with two counts of bribery, for each of which he faces a maximum sentence of ten years in prison.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
Acting United States Attorney Stephen M. Schenning commended the FBI, IRS-CI, and Prince George's County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Schenning thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas P. Windom, Menaka S. Kalaskar, and Arun G. Rao, who are prosecuting the case.