Ex-Aide Stole Scholarship Money Via Job With MD State Senator: Prosecutor

ANNAPOLIS, MD — A former Maryland legislative aide is accused of using her position with a Montgomery County lawmaker to steal $20,000 in scholarship money.

The Maryland state prosecutor said Wednesday that Esther Dikongue, 36, of Silver Spring, was charged in the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County. A press release said she faces charges of felony theft scheme, felony theft and unauthorized access to a computer system.

The charging documents don't name the legislator she worked for, only identifying her employer as "Senator A."

A 2020 end-of-session report said Dikongue was a legislative aide for District 20 State Sen. William C. Smith Jr. A LinkedIn profile for a Dikongue with the same name and education also said she worked for Smith.

Smith represents Silver Spring, Takoma Park and White Oak. Smith is not charged or accused of any wrongdoing.

“Once I became aware of the problem, I reported it to the state prosecutor,” Smith told The Baltimore Banner, calling the situation “tremendously disappointing.” “The charging documents you see online are the direct result of that investigation.”

The Banner reported that Dikongue's attorney is Thomas Maronick.

“We have been in discussions with the State Prosecutor’s Office regarding this case and look forward to our day in court on what we believe will be a fair resolution of these matters,” Maronick told The Banner.

The investigation centers around scholarship funds that members of the Maryland General Assembly award to their constituents. These funds are sent to students attending Maryland colleges or Maryland students attending colleges outside the state that offer programs unavailable in Maryland.

The charging documents allege that one of Dikongue's duties as an aide was accessing the senator's email to handle scholarship allocation.

Dikongue is accused of using that privilege to direct scholarship funds “to her own educational institution without the knowledge or consent of the Senator.”

Dikongue is also accused of logging into the senator's email without his permission after she stopped working for him “to ensure she continued to receive the scholarship funds.”

“Ensuring that taxpayer funds are used for their intended purpose is an essential aspect of preserving public trust in our government institutions,” Maryland State Prosecutor Charlton T. Howard III said in the press release. “Our Office will continue to seek to hold individuals accountable who violate that public trust for their personal gain.”