April 3, 2014: Philip Harrison II Statement of Facts

For Immediate Release                                                                April 3, 2014    

 STATEMENT OF FACTS IN SUPPORT OF GUILTY PLEA

Philip Harrison, II, served as Treasurer of the “Hattie Harrison for Delegate” campaign committee from July 3, 2006 through November 10, 2009.  Philip Harrison, II, is the grandson of the late Delegate Hattie Harrison.

An investigation, which included analysis of the campaign accounts of the “Hattie Harrison for Delegate” committee and the personal bank accounts of Mr. Harrison, revealed that, during the above stated period, he wrote numerous unauthorized checks from the “Hattie Harrison For Delegate” campaign account to himself and to his then girlfriend and now spouse Rehanna Singletary.  After relinquishing his role as Treasurer, he retained a campaign account checkbook and continued writing checks to himself and Ms. Singletary, as well as paying certain Comcast and Verizon bills by forging the present Treasurer’s name. This activity persisted until August of 2010, and the theft of campaign funds totaled just over $17,600.

When confronted by investigators from the Office of the State Prosecutor and shown numerous checks made out to himself and Rehanna Singletary, Harrison admitted that he wrote all of them.  When it was pointed out that several of the checks written to Ms. Singletary and himself after he resigned as Treasurer of the committee in November of 2009 bore the name of the present Treasurer, he admitted that he had forged her name on several  occasions.  He further stated that he wrote, signed, endorsed and deposited the checks made out to Ms. Singletary and that she was unaware of the source of the money.  Mr. Harrison admitted that he was aware that personal use of campaign funds was not permitted and that he knew what he was doing was wrong, but that he was in a financial bind after losing his job and just took the money.

All these events occurred in the State of Maryland.