EX Pocomoke Police Chief and Convict Frank White is at it Again

Or has it simply been this long that he's been caught 'again'?
The Daily times has done a great job on this one. I believe if they dig they will find hundreds of thousands dollars in Whites pockets.

From the Daily Times;

Town leader's expenses eyed
During Princess Anne manager shuffle, Frank White charged $8,500 in 3 months

PRINCESS ANNE -- The Princess Anne Town Commissioners president ran up more than $8,500 in charges on the town manager's credit card in less than three months, including $1,462 spent on meals at area restaurants, according to records obtained by the Somerset Herald.

Frank White, who began using former town manager Jay Parker's MasterCard on Feb. 11 -- the day Parker resigned his post -- had the account placed in his name two weeks later and continues to make purchases on it, although he stopped being acting town manager in June.

Following a Maryland Public Information Act request, the newspaper was provided copies of credit card bills from January through April for White and town department managers.

During the same time period, credit card charges made by Police Chief Scott Keller and Public Works Director Tracey Grangier showed charges for items that appeared to be work-related, including office supplies, gasoline and postage. Keller also charged expenses for the Maryland Municipal League's police chief conference, as well as a fingerprinting service.

But White's bill over a two-and-a-half-month period from Feb. 11-April 22 shows a trip to Carlisle, Pa., to attend Keller's father's funeral, as well as items for the town office's new employee lunch room purchased from Lowe's, Home Depot and Bed Bath & Beyond.

During the same time period, there also were charges for 35 restaurant meals, which White said were "all business."

White said the meals included meetings with officials from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, two developers and a business owner considering a move to Princess Anne.

"We were trying to straighten out a big mess after Jay (Parker) left," White said. "We worked all day and we worked after hours."

Outback restaurant charges
Although White insists the meals were all legitimate town business, several town residents have reported seeing White alone at Outback Steakhouse in Salisbury.

One woman, who works in Salisbury and who asked not to be identified, said she and her co-workers frequently go to Outback's happy hour, and that White was seen sitting alone at the bar several times.


Additionally, a town vehicle -- which White has been known to use -- was parked outside the restaurant, she said.



White's credit card bill shows 14 charges at Outback, including several that are small enough to suggest he was there alone. Only five of the charges on his town credit card are more than $25.

Other charges at Outback are larger, including one bill for $235 on March 16, according to town records.

In addition to Outback, there are charges at numerous other restaurants, including Oasis on the UMES campus, Peaky's and Pizza Hut in Princess Anne, Applebee's, Texas Roadhouse in Fruitland, Chili's in Salisbury, and Dunkin Donuts and Liquid Assets in Ocean City.

When asked if he thought the charges were excessive, White again stressed that he was only conducting town business.

"I won three elections by a landslide, and I'm tired of people picking on me," he said. "I've been working my behind off."

White, 52, was first elected in 2000 and re-elected in 2004 and 2008. He formerly worked as a jeweler at a business in town owned by his estranged wife, Melissa. Since the two separated at the beginning of the year, White has listed a town house at Queen's Grant as his official address.

Limited oversight
Town officials who use credit cards are not required to fill out expense reports for meals and travel, according to Brenda Benton, the town's finance director who also serves as interim town manager.

White and others turn in copies of their receipts, which sometimes include the names of who was at a lunch or dinner jotted down on the back.

"Lots of times it will be written on there, but not every time," she said.

The town's auditor has never recommended a change in tracking expenses, Benton said.

The most recent town audit was conducted before White started using the credit card account.

On the county level, Somerset's County Commissioners and other elected county officials do not have county-issued cards. Only certain people, such as department heads and a few others, use them.

All county employees and elected officials are required to pay for their own meals and travel out of pocket, then submit an expense reimbursement form. Any sort of work-related meal, travel or entertainment needs to be documented as to who, what, where, when and why, said Gene Adkins, Somerset County's finance director.

In January, the county actually prohibited food and beverage charges on county-issued credit cards, Adkins said.

"There really weren't any problems," he said. "It's just a better way to control it."



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