Baltimore news and trends

Fraudsters Accused In $364M Ponzi Debt Scheme
Legal // September 20, 2018

Federal prosecutors have charged three men who allegedly ran a $364 million Ponzi scheme. According to Reuters, the men — Kevin Merrill of Maryland, 53, Jay Ledford of Texas and Nevada, 54, and Cameron Jezierski of Texas, 28 — falsely claimed to be investment professionals...

Baltimore And Atlanta Get Hacked
Security & Fraud // March 29, 2018

Marking the second cyberattack on a large U.S. municipality in one week, hackers managed to break into Baltimore’s dispatch system that supports emergency calls. Baltimore CIO Frank Johnson called the hack a “limited breach,” Reuters reported. That hack came about a week after Atlanta experienced...

The Reality of Retail Darwinism
Retail // March 27, 2017

Twenty-seven years ago marked the end of a shopping era in Baltimore. That was the year — 1990 — that brick-and-mortar retailer Hutzler’s shut its doors forever after 132 years in the retail business. The Grand Dame of retail in that town, my hometown, wasn’t just a...

M-Payments App Will Buy Dinner — And Inspire Goodwill
News // April 20, 2015

There are quite a few mobile payments apps on the market — but there are none quite like Full Society’s app, which is expected to launch this summer. In addition to boasting a convenient transaction process for iPhone users, Full Society’s app — which is...

Quick Reads
Fraudsters Accused In $364M Ponzi Debt Scheme

September 20, 2018
Federal prosecutors have charged three men who allegedly ran a $364 million Ponzi scheme. According to Reuters, the men — Kevin Merrill of Maryland, 53, Jay Ledford of Texas and Nevada, 54, and Cameron Jezierski of Texas, 28 — falsely claimed to be investment professionals and used a fake portfolio to defraud hundreds of investors. […]

Baltimore And Atlanta Get Hacked

March 29, 2018
Marking the second cyberattack on a large U.S. municipality in one week, hackers managed to break into Baltimore’s dispatch system that supports emergency calls. Baltimore CIO Frank Johnson called the...

Baltimore City Council President Wants Procurement Review

September 17, 2014
Bernard C. “Jack” Young, president of Baltimore’s city council, reportedly has asked the council to review the city’s centralized CitiBuy procurement system, which was used to toward $277 million in...