Authorities investigating financial irregularities in Prince George’s County Municipal Association

Prince George’s County law enforcement is investigating financial irregularities uncovered in a countywide association that provides networking opportunities and funds lobbying efforts on behalf of the county’s 27 municipalities.

The investigation dates back to 2024, when then-Upper Marlboro Mayor Sarah Franklin and Mount Rainier Mayor Celina Benitez noticed discrepancies between the Prince George’s County Municipal Association’s bank statements and reports filed by the group’s former treasurer, Bennard Cann.

“We knew enough about budgeting to know that something was not right,” said Benitez, who was the association’s president at the time.

Cann served as treasurer of the association until June 2024. He resigned as a board member in February 2025, shortly after the Benitez and Franklin found the discrepancies, along with unauthorized ATM transactions.

Franklin, who now serves as a council member in Upper Marlboro, was the incoming treasurer for the association at the time. When Franklin inquired with Cann via text in 2024, he told her some charges were made in error and that the funds would be returned, according to a memo circulated to the association’s members by its former president, Quianna Taylor. It’s unclear if the funds were ever returned.

Cann declined to comment on the alleged financial discrepancies and ensuing investigation.

In total, Franklin and Benitez uncovered more than $14,000 in questionable transactions, according to the internal memo from Taylor. But during public discussion of the issue during a College Park City Council meeting in November, officials said the figure was more than $30,000. College Park City Manager Kenny Young referred to the financial improprieties as “embezzlement,” while acknowledging that the investigation was still ongoing.

Shortly after Benitez and Franklin noticed financial irregularities, they reported their concerns to the Maryland Municipal League, the association’s umbrella organization, which “immediately took action,” Benitez said. The league’s controller Karen Wilbert began an audit shortly after, according to internal documents and correspondence among association members.

The league’s leadership denied The Banner’s request to review the audit’s findings, but Maryland Municipal League CEO Theresa Kuhns said the matter “warranted referral to the appropriate authorities.” She said the case was sent to Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Tara Jackson’s office for review in June.

“As this matter remains under review by law enforcement, the League will not comment further regarding specific allegations, findings, or potential outcomes,” Kuhns said in an email. “The League has cooperated fully with the appropriate authorities and will continue to do so throughout the process. The League respects the independence of that process and awaits the conclusions of the appropriate authorities.”

The director of communications for the state’s attorney’s office, Taylor Brown, declined to comment.

Prince George’s County Police Det. Michael Meta, of the Financial Crimes Unit, also declined to comment, saying he cannot confirm or deny the existence of an active law enforcement investigation. But generally, he said, financial crimes investigations can take two months to two years to complete.

The fallout

Cann served as the Prince George’s County Municipal Association treasurer until June 2024. But he remained on the board until shortly after the financial discrepancies came to light in February 2025, according to a resignation letter he sent to the association.

Then, after originally filing paperwork to run for reelection as mayor of Morningside, a half-square-mile municipality with fewer than 1,000 residents, Cann withdrew from the race in April 2025. In a May 19, 2025 Facebook post, he said his time in elected office was officially coming to an end, though a city employee told The Banner last week that Cann finished his term.

“Serving the Town of Morningside and its incredible community has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” Cann’s post said. “While I have never claimed to be perfect—no one is—I am immensely proud of the many achievements accomplished during my tenure."

Former Laurel City Council member Martin Mitchell said he got to know Cann through their work on local issues and when Cann was an employee at the workforce development nonprofit Employ Prince George’s. He said he is vaguely aware there was a “big issue with the mismanagement of funds” at the municipal association. But said he largely stayed out of the drama. “I was busy as a council member,” he said.

“He was someone who wanted to show me the ropes,” Mitchell said of Cann. “He was very open to giving guidance to a young legislator.”

Beyond Cann’s resignation from the association’s board, the discovery of financial irregularities had a ripple effect among some member towns and within the association.

On Feb. 18, 2025, the Maryland Municipal League stripped the association of its financial independence, according to a letter Kuhns sent to the board.

The following week, the association’s board voted to oust Benitez as president, citing “lack of transparency” and “failure to act” when financial concerns were raised, according to the internal memo.

Benitez said her ouster left her feeling frustrated and betrayed. She reported the irregularities directly to the municipal league out of a sense of duty, she said.

Kony Serrano Portillo, a former Edmondson council member and non-voting member of the county association, said Benitez was not given an opportunity to speak to the body ahead of her removal, and a member of the board muted her when she attempted to speak during the virtual meeting.

Serrano Portillo believes that the county association’s board took action against Benitez because she reported her findings directly to the municipal league, rather than allowing the county association to resolve the issue internally.

After the financial discrepancies became public, the College Park City Council paused its membership in the county association. During a meeting on Nov. 12, 2025, Council member Denise Mitchell raised concerns with the involvement of “the treasurer handling taxpayer dollars for 27 municipalities,” referring to Cann.

College Park Mayor Fazlul Kabir told The Banner last week that he believes the city will rejoin the association when council members feel comfortable that financial safeguards are in place.

“At the end of the day, we win if we’re part of an umbrella organization like PGCMA that voices concerns that College Park shares,” Kabir said. “Before all these things happened, we benefitted. Every year, they have legislative priorities, and we often agreed with them.”

But College Park Council member Jacob Hernandez is more skeptical of the benefits of rejoining the association. He was upset the association did not put out a statement about the financial issues after they were first discovered, and questioned whether the adequate safeguards have been put in place.

He said he was unaware that any investigation existed until he spoke with The Banner this week.

“Even to this day, there’s not been any announcement that, ‘Hey, this happened,’” Hernandez said. “I don’t want to be part of an organization that contributes funds into a pool with a hole at the bottom. ... It’s irresponsible of any elected official to continue to do this without [the association] making some sort of accountability statement.”

As recently as June 3, New Carrollton Council member Briana Urbina urged her colleagues on the New Carrollton City Council to publicly review their membership in the association. She said the council has yet to consider her proposal.

“There has not been enough transparency about what happened, and there has not been accountability for those that were in charge when it happened,” said Serrano Portillo. “That’s really disappointing.”