Professional Documents
Culture Documents
SUMMARY: Twyla Garretts companies were recently awarded two major federal contracts, worth over
$1.85 million total, even after she had been indicted in the Baltimore City Circuit Court for charging the
city $180,000 in work that was not done. Her company ultimately pleaded guilty on the charge, in
exchange for the dropping of charges against Garrett personally.
Company Addresses:
Maryland Incorporation
The companys incorporation with the Maryland Secretary of State displays Garretts name and two
addresses: 8016 Shadowberry Place, Richmond, VA 23227 and 12906 Turnberry Circle, Ft. Washington,
MD 20744.
A pair of federal tax liens demonstrates that Investment Management Enterprise Inc. also uses an office
at 1010 Vermont Avenue NW, Suite 200, Washington DC.
Lien #1:
Lien #2:
administrative leave, has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing. He said he was resigning after being under an unfair "cloud
of scrutiny." He was earning $150,000 a year. The information technology office has been the subject of scrutiny before.
The city's previous inspector general examined irregularities under then-director Rico J. Singleton. He resigned in 2012
after the release of a New York state audit that found he had negotiated jobs for his girlfriend and himself while working
for that state's information technology office. That scathing report also showed that the office had purchased nearly
$675,000 in phone-related equipment under an existing contract rather than seeking new proposals. The probe found
potential conflicts of interest and missed opportunities for "significant cost savings." (Baltimore Sun, August 1, 2015;
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-technology-indictment-20150731-story.html)
DHS Contract
Nearly two months later, FEMA/DHS awarded a $383,990 contract to IME Services, located on Vermont
Avenue in DC.
(usaspending.gov)
In January 2016, Investment Management Enterprise Inc., located on Shadowberry Place in Richmond,
was awarded a contract worth $1.47 million by the Department of HHS.
(usaspending.gov)
In February 2016, Investment Management Enterprise Inc. pleaded guilty to the criminal charge in
exchange for the charge against Twyla Garrett being dropped. The company agreed to pay Baltimore
more than $165,000 in restitution.
A corporation formerly contracted to provide information technology services to the city agreed to pay Baltimore more
than $165,000 in restitution after a criminal charge against its president was dropped. Investment Management Enterprises
pleaded guilty to one count of theft in exchange for the charge against Twyla Garrett being dropped. Baltimore Circuit
Judge Lawrence Fletcher-Hill accepted the plea deal Wednesday. The company was sentenced to three months of
probation. The city received a check for the full amount owed during court proceedings. Garrett and her company were
indicted on theft charges last year after an investigation by the city's inspector general into the mayor's office of
information technology. Garrett, 44, of Fort Washington was accused of submitting false invoices from Jan. 1, 2013, to
Jan. 15, 2015, according to court records. Prosecutors alleged that Garrett altered time sheets for one employee and billed
the city for more than 500 hours the employee did not work at a total cost of about $73,000. She was also accused of
billing the city for 650 hours a second employee did not work, for a total of $93,000. Garrett's attorney, Kenneth Ravenell,
declined to comment. The case stemmed from an investigation by Inspector General Robert H. Pearre Jr. that began in
March 2014. Pearre said the overbilling was not caught by the city because of inadequate contract management and
oversight. No Baltimore officials were charged as a result of the investigation. "This case reflects the city's resolve to
identify and prosecute corrupt vendor practices, and cases involving contract administration will continue to be a high
priority for the OIG," Pearre said in a statement. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said she is committed to "rooting out
fraud, waste and abuse." The inspector general's investigation into the case is closed, according to Rawlings-Blake
spokesman Howard Libit. (Baltimore Sun, February 4, 2016)
The following information was released by the Office of the State's Attorney for Baltimore City: Investment Management
Enterprise, headed by CEO Twyla Garrett, pled guilty to theft of $100,000 Wednesday. The company OVERBILLED the
Mayor's Office of Information Technology (MOIT) using its employees' timesheets. Assistant State's Attorney and
Economic Crimes Division Chief, Joshua Felsen, prosecuted the case. Working with the Baltimore City Inspector
General's Office, investigators learned that Investment Management Enterprise added more than 1,300 hours of additional
time to the timesheets of its two contracted employees working for MOIT. The added billings amounted to an
overpayment by the Baltimore City Finance Department to Investment Management Enterprise in the amount of
$165,520. The overpayments took place over the course of 2013-2014. "Tax payer dollars are a crucial resource that is not
to be wasted. If you have information regarding waste, fraud, or abuse please reach out to us or the Office of the Inspector
General. We take these matters seriously." State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby said. As part of the plea agreement, Investment
Management Enterprise paid $165,250 in restitution to the State. (States News Service, February 4, 2016)
Maryland Cases
Even before the scandal covered in the press above, Garrett or her companies were the defendants in a
long line of Maryland court cases, many involving foreclosures/evictions.
And:
The company she incorporated in 2007 to handle the restaurants was Garrett Entertainment Corp.
]
Over the next few years, Garrett Entertainment was hit with nearly $10,000 in workers comp liens, a
nearly $10,000 federal tax lien, and nearly $2,000 in unemployment tax liens, before losing a $310,000
judgment/eviction brought by Stonebridge against the company.
Workers Comp Liens
Additional Background:
IME Website: http://www.hireime.com/
Twyla Garrett blog : http://twylangarrett.blogspot.com/
Note: Another blog is so poorly written, it is not likely to be Garretts own work, e.g. it constantly
misspells her own last name: http://twyla-garrett-baltimore.blogspot.com/