Audit: Maryland Military Agency Claimed $700k In Unauthorized Grant

A state audit of Maryland's Military Department found that the agency claimed it had $700,000 from a federal grant that was never authorized. That money will have to come out of taxpayers' pockets if the department can't convince the federal government to reverse its denial of the grant.

The report by the Office of Legislative Audits also found that the department gave too much money to local fire departments that weren't meeting their own obligations and failed to install safeguards on purchasing cards, which allowed one employee to run up more than $100,000 in questionable purchases and remain undetected for about three years.

The Maryland Military Department maintains the state National Guard and coordinates disaster management efforts through the Maryland Emergency Mangement Agency. It also administers loan and grant programs to local volunteer fire companies.
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