IG: Mayor Scott’s Office Violated P-Card Rules, $52,588 at Games, $890K Total

The Baltimore City Inspector General finds Mayor Brandon Scott’s office spent $52,588 on food and beverages in the mayoral suite at Orioles and Ravens games, and that those purchases violated procurement-card policies. The IG report, released Feb. 26, 2026, ties the suite charges to a broader pattern of discretionary spending by the mayor’s office.

The report documents more than $890,000 in total charges labeled as food, parties and flowers on procurement cards controlled by the mayor’s office. Among the line items the inspector general highlights is a $7,000 farewell event charged to the city for a staffer who, according to the report, remained on payroll at the time of the celebration. Those expenditures form the core of the IG’s finding that P-Card rules were not followed.

Inspector General investigators focused on the procurement card - commonly called a P-Card - and how it was used by personnel in the mayoral office. The IG report concludes that a series of entertainment and hospitality purchases at professional sporting events and private office gatherings did not comply with the city’s procurement-card policies, which govern allowable purchases and documentation for municipal spending.

The $52,588 figure for food and beverages at Orioles and Ravens games is notable both for its concentration in a single venue type - the mayoral suite at professional games - and because it is part of multiple high-dollar categories the IG identified. The report places the suite charges alongside repeated payments for parties and floral arrangements, producing the cumulative total that exceeds $890,000 in P-Card spending tied to Mayor Brandon Scott’s office.

The inspector general’s findings raise questions about internal controls and oversight within the mayoral team, as the report documents policy breaches tied to specific transactions and events. With the report public on Feb. 26, 2026, the immediate factual record now shows $52,588 spent in the mayoral suite at city-related sporting events and a broader $890,000-plus tally for food, parties and flowers that the IG flags as procurement-card violations. The report’s detailed accounting will be central to discussions about corrective measures and fiscal oversight of the mayor’s office going forward.