MARYLAND, USA — Angela Alsobrooks is being accused of "improperly" claiming tax deduction for properties in D.C. and Maryland.
According to CNN, Alsobrooks, the Democratic nominee for US Senate in Maryland, used tax breaks she didn't qualify for, including one exclusively for low-income senior citizens. CNN reviewed property record and tax bills for two homes in D.C. and Maryland.
The report says, Alsobrooks claimed for over a decade a homestead tax exemption. This exemption is meant to be used on someone's primary home, the reports claims this property is not Alsobrooks' primary residence.
Alsobrooks is also being accused of improperly claiming a senior citizens' tax break on her property in D.C. which essentially cuts her tax bill in half. The property in D.C. was owned by Alsobrooks' grandparents before she took over. CNN's reporting says they may have qualified for that tax break, but Alsobrooks who is 53, never qualified for that tax deduction.
On Monday, Alsobrooks spoke out saying "this was a grandmother I loved dearly, she moved into my parents home. I took over until I sold the house in 2018, I was never notified she had taken a senior tax credit."
With this tax deduction, Alsobrooks saved almost $14,000 in taxes on her D.C. property from 2005 and 2017, according to property tax bills reviewed by CNN.
When asked how she missed the credits for over decade, Alsobrooks explained “the bills weren’t sent to me-I was paying through the mortgage company-they were sent to my grandmother-I didn’t know they weren’t sent to me,”.
A senior advisor for Alsobrooks told the outlet that she was unaware of these claims and her attorney's are working with D.C. and Prince George's County to resolve the issue.
WUSA9 reached out to Alsobrooks' campaign for a statement on the allegations;
Regarding the property in D.C. “Many Marylanders know how difficult and complex it is when a family member needs to leave their home. When this situation happened to Angela’s grandmother, Angela stepped up and took it over for her family and paid the mortgage until the property was sold in 2018. She was unaware of any tax credits attached to that property and has reached out to the District of Columbia to resolve the issue and make any necessary payment.” Senior Campaign Advisor Connor Lounsbury said.
“When Angela bought her new property [in Prince George's County], the homestead tax credit from her previous home was not transferred. 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 over. Nevertheless, Angela is working to repay any credits received on the old property.” Lounsbury continued.