Inspector General Releases Report on Baltimore City P-Card Spending 2022-2025

City Hall’s mayoral office drew sharp scrutiny after the Baltimore City Office of the Inspector General, led by Isabel Mercedes Cumming, released a Feb. 25, 2026 report finding extensive spending on food, office parties and flowers during the review period July 1, 2022 − Nov. 17, 2025. Coverage of the OIG findings has reported aggregate figures ranging from more than $801,000 on food and catering to a BaltimoreBrew headline citing over $890,000 for food, office parties and flowers.

The OIG audit identified 336 procurement-card transactions that lacked required Bureau of Procurement waivers, with a total value of $167,455.06; Wmar2news noted that 295 of those noncompliant transactions were food-related purchases, including catering. The review examined P-Card spending records and Workday expenditures, and OIG reviewers examined receipts, including receipts from M&T Bank Stadium.

Sporting events in the mayoral suite accounted for a spotlighted share of spending. Wmar2news reported $52,588.78 in taxpayer funds used on food and beverages during Baltimore Orioles and Baltimore Ravens games; Foxbaltimore described “about $52,000” and noted stadium receipts that included two separate outings totaling more than $1,000. Foxbaltimore also flagged small-line alcohol purchases tied to stadium activity, including two bottles of Maker’s Mark for $117.02 and Tito’s Vodka for $61.89.

Internal celebrations and staff events were itemized in the reporting. BaltimoreBrew published a photo caption identifying a City Hall farewell party that cost $3,636 and named Marvin James, J.D. Merrill and Berke Attila in the image; Foxbaltimore reported a mayor’s baby shower of nearly $400 and a Thanksgiving luncheon costing more than $1,000. Flowers were a distinct category, with Foxbaltimore reporting $33,551 spent on arrangements for birthdays, bereavement and baby announcements. A resident criticized a $740 charge for Maryland crab cakes as “premium and lavish” and “not acceptable,” according to Foxbaltimore.

The OIG placed the noncompliance in a broader context: since June 2022 the city has processed more than $36 million in P-Card transactions, and the report urged stronger oversight and updated Expenditure Authorization policies to reflect Workday and “proper stewardship of City funds.” Wmar2news noted that one Bureau of Procurement employee is currently responsible for auditing P-Cards across more than 200 cardholders, a staffing detail the OIG highlighted when recommending additional compliance resources.

City Hall pushed back on characterization of the findings. The Banner published a response from John David “J.D.” Merrill saying the OIG report lacks “important context” and includes characterizations that “overstate materiality” or “reflect areas of reasonable disagreement.” Mayor’s office spokesperson Jonas Poggi emphasized by email that the Inspector General “found no deliberate misuse of P-cards” and said members “were acting in good faith.” BaltimoreBrew also reported Inspector General Isabel Mercedes Cumming’s observation that the Scott administration’s new restrictions on OIG access “would have limited this investigation.”

The OIG report released Feb. 25, 2026 lists specific compliance failures and recommends policy updates, additional oversight and resources for the P-Card program; the mayor’s office has described the expenditures as lacking deliberate misuse while the city and OIG consider next steps for implementation of the report’s recommendations.