Angela Alsobrooks Falsely Claimed Tax Deductions on D.C. and Maryland Properties, Documents Show

CNN
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Angela Alsobrooks, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Maryland, abused tax breaks she was not eligible for, including a tax break for low-income seniors, saving thousands of dollars in taxes on two properties she owned in Washington, D.C., and Maryland.

A CNN review of land records and tax bills shows that for both properties, Alsobrooks claimed for more than a decade a property tax exemption that is supposed to apply only to a person’s primary residence, violating state and local tax relief requirements.

She also falsely claimed a senior citizen tax break on her Washington property, cutting her tax bill in half. Alsobrooks, 53, never qualified for the tax break, but her grandparents, who owned the property before her, likely did.

A senior adviser to Alsobrooks told CNN she was unaware of the issue and that her attorneys were working with Washington and Prince George’s County, Maryland, to resolve the matter.

Alsobrooks saved nearly $14,000 in taxes between 2005 and 2017 on his Northeast Washington property by using tax exemptions intended for primary district residents, low-income residents and seniors, according to property tax bills reviewed by CNN.

But she did not live in Washington, according to public records. Since 1995, she has been registered to vote in Prince George’s County, where she is a longtime public servant. She currently serves as the county’s executive director, where she oversees the county’s budget and its tax collection division.

Connor Lounsbury, Alsobrooks’ senior adviser, told CNN that after her grandmother moved out of the Northeast Washington home, Alsobrooks paid the mortgage on the property until it was sold in 2018. “She was not aware of any tax credits associated with this property and contacted the District of Columbia to resolve the issue and make any necessary payments,” Lounsbury said.

In 2005, Alsobrooks purchased a townhouse in Prince George’s County. State records show she applied for and received a homestead exemption in 2008 for the townhouse. It’s unclear when, but she eventually began renting the property — while still receiving the exemption for primary residents.

Although county records for his townhouse property tax bill only go back to fiscal year 2020, the exemption is estimated to have saved him at least $2,600 since then.

In 2014, Alsobrooks bought another home in an “equestrian” community in Prince George’s County. She lists the property as her primary residence on her mortgage, but doesn’t claim a homestead exemption on it, which, as her campaign points out, actually cost her money.

“When Angela purchased her new property, the property tax credit from her previous home was not transferred,” Lounsbury said. “This resulted in no financial gain for Angela. In fact, she ended up paying more in taxes than she would have had the credit transferred. Nevertheless, Angela is working to repay the credits received on the old property.”

After winning a contested Democratic primary earlier this year, Alsobrooks faces Republican Larry Hogan, the former Maryland governor, in the race to fill the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Democrat Ben Cardin.

In most election cycles, a Democratic candidate from conservative Maryland would have a strong shot at winning the November general election. But Hogan’s entry has put the seat back in play, deepening Democrats’ struggle to hold on to power, given that the party will have to hold on to seven seats in tough races just to keep the Senate at 50-50.

The abuse of tax breaks has long plagued politicians running for office — at least politically. In 2023, CNN’s KFile reported that California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff had filed to own primary residences in California and Maryland at the same time, claiming they were classified as such for loan purposes. And in 2022, CNN reported that Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker received a tax break on his Texas home that was intended to serve as his primary residence, even though he ran for office in Georgia.

Alsobrooks’ campaign noted that Hogan also received a tax break on his Edgewater, Maryland, home in 2016 while living in the governor’s residence in Annapolis. But governors and federal employees are exempt from the residency requirements.

Residential property tax breaks are intended to shield a fraction of a home’s value from property taxes and apply to primary residences, not rental or investment properties.

Documents show that Alsobrooks obtained the D.C. property after his grandmother transferred the deed to him in late 2003. His grandparents were likely eligible for the senior citizen tax break, and Alsobrooks never changed the exemption status.

District of Columbia law says that failure to cancel exemptions that no longer apply to the owner can result in “penalties equal to 10 percent of the delinquent tax and interest accrued monthly at 1.5 percent until paid in full.” But it’s up to the district to sue the owner for the money — and it’s up to the owner to cancel the exemptions if circumstances change.

Alsobrooks continues to claim a tax exemption on her Maryland townhouse, even though she no longer lives there and uses it as a rental property.

It’s unclear exactly when Alsobrooks began renting out the property. According to state records, she applied for a license to rent the property in 2021. In her financial disclosures released in August, she reported rental income of between $15,000 and $50,000 from residential real estate.

Alsobrooks’ campaign has highlighted her record of advocating for local tax relief. In the summer of 2020, Alsobrooks opposed a county measure that would have raised property taxes to offset revenue losses during the COVID-19 pandemic. And in 2022, she signed a law giving eligible senior residents a property tax credit for up to five years.

Alsobrooks has had a groundbreaking career, becoming the first woman elected as Prince George’s County’s state’s attorney in 2010 before being elected in 2018 as the first female county executive in suburban Maryland County.

She overcame serious obstacles in this year’s Democratic primary to fill the Senate seat vacated by Cardin. Her opponent, deep-pocketed Rep. David Trone, outspent her nearly 10 to one and poured more than $60 million of his own money into the race.

But despite Trone’s attacks on her, Alsobrooks ultimately won by 10 points as her party sought to make her the first black woman elected to the Maryland Senate.

Alsobrooks has sought to nationalize the race against Hogan, a popular former governor who has sought to distance himself from former President Donald Trump. She has tried to capitalize on the state’s strong Democratic leanings by arguing that a Hogan victory would likely mean Republicans would regain control of the Senate — and with it, the power to set the agenda and confirm judicial nominations.

During his election campaign, Alsobrooks pushed for a “fairer tax system” and strongly criticized tax breaks for the wealthiest taxpayers.

“Too many Americans are struggling to make ends meet and are forced to live paycheck to paycheck to make ends meet,” Alsobrooks wrote on X earlier this year. “As Senator, I will fight for a fairer tax system that doesn’t hand out handouts to the top 1%.”