Audit questions Prince George's sheriff’s spokesperson over nonprofit grant funds

A Prince George’s County audit has put the sheriff’s office on the defensive after questioning how $68,500 in public grant money flowed to the nonprofit tied to its public information officer, Taylor Thomas. Sheriff John D.B. Carr suspended Thomas after learning of the audit, turning the case into a direct test of how county officials police taxpayer-funded grants and whether spending controls were strong enough to catch problems earlier.

Auditors said $56,000 of the money awarded to The Better Family, Inc. was in question. The nonprofit, incorporated in Maryland in 2016 and based in Prince George’s County, was described as serving families and youth through community, educational, health and technology activities. The county’s Office of Audits and Investigations recommended discontinuing county grant funding to the organization for now, a step that underscores how seriously the county is treating the allegations.

The Better Family, Inc. received the grant money over two fiscal years, from July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2024. The county’s grant audits are part of oversight of non-departmental spending, a process meant to track whether public dollars are used for the programs approved by county government. In this case, the audit has raised ethics and disclosure concerns because the recipient nonprofit is associated with a county employee who speaks for the sheriff’s office.

The Prince George’s County Office of Ethics and Accountability says its mission includes identifying fraud, abuse and illegal acts, placing the matter squarely within the county’s broader accountability apparatus. The county’s Community Partnership Grant program awards more than $1 million annually to eligible nonprofits, making the Thomas case more than a personnel issue. It is also a warning sign for how grant decisions are reviewed, documented and monitored once money leaves county control.

The controversy lands in a county where nonprofit grant distribution has already sparked public debate at the County Council and where residents routinely scrutinize how public money is allocated from Upper Marlboro to neighborhoods across the county. With Thomas suspended and the audit recommending that grant funding stop, county leaders now face pressure to show what safeguards failed, who approved the spending and what changes will keep public safety dollars from being steered off course.