Mosby turns to delegate who faced criminal charges, disbarment a decade ago

Former Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby has hired Del. Tiffany T. Alston to represent her in a pending attorney discipline case over Mosby’s recent perjury conviction.

Alston is familiar with the attorney grievance process: She was disbarred in 2013, not long after being pushed out of the legislature amid unrelated criminal charges.

Alston was reinstated to the bar in October and won a seat in the House of Delegates again in 2022. She received probation before judgment in her criminal cases and her record has been expunged.

“I am honored to have been retained by Ms. Mosby to assist her in the defense of her law license,” Alston said in an email. “I believe lived experience informs the way in which we all do our jobs; and while this is an experience I would rather not have, I hope that my pain, compassion, and zealous advocacy will benefit my client(s) and help make me a better lawyer.

“However, the loss of my license was directly related to my regrettable conduct in dealing with clients, and that is not the case with my client Ms. Mosby.”

It’s typical for attorneys to hire their own lawyers when facing disciplinary allegations from Maryland’s Attorney Grievance Commission. The commission asked last month to suspend Mosby’s law license because of her conviction of a “serious crime” under the state ethics rules for lawyers.

A federal jury found Mosby guilty of two counts of perjury in November. Prosecutors said that Mosby lied when she claimed to have suffered a financial loss in order to withdraw money from her city retirement account under emergency pandemic rules.

Mosby is also set to face trial later this month on mortgage fraud charges related to her purchase of two Florida vacation properties.

When a lawyer is found guilty of a serious crime but will not be sentenced for at least 30 days, bar counsel can petition for the temporary suspension of that lawyer’s license before pursuing more serious discipline after the conviction is final.

Mosby still has time to respond to the Attorney Grievance Commission’s petition before the Maryland Supreme Court rules on it.

Alston said she plans to file a response but declined to discuss it further. Mosby did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

Alston rejoined the Maryland bar in October when the Maryland Supreme Court approved her request for reinstatement, court records show.

She agreed to disbarment in 2013 after being suspended indefinitely from practicing law the year before. The attorney discipline cases had to do with Alston’s handling of client issues and her communication with bar counsel. They were not related to the criminal charges that resulted in Alston’s ouster from the legislature.

In her 2023 petition for reinstatement to the bar, Alston wrote that she “offers no excuses” for the conduct that led to her disbarment. (A previous attempt at reinstatement in 2017 was unsuccessful.)

“Mrs. Alston knows and understands that to be able to practice law is a privilege that must be protected and defended at all cost,” she wrote in September. “If this court sees fit to reinstate her to the practice of law, she will demonstrate a renewed commitment to making herself and her profession one that all people can be proud (of).”

Attorney Dolores O. Ridgell, who was acting bar counsel at the time, recommended that the Supreme Court grant the petition in a brief response.

Bar Counsel Thomas M. DeGonia, who took over the office in late October, declined to comment for this story.

Alston was also forced out of the House of Delegates in 2012, a few months after a jury found her guilty of misdemeanor theft and misconduct in office. She was charged with using $800 in state money to pay an employee for work at her law firm.

She was also accused of using campaign money to pay for some of her wedding expenses, but worked out a plea deal before facing a second trial.

An Anne Arundel County circuit judge gave Alston a suspended sentence of one year in jail for misconduct in office and struck the guilty finding on the theft count. The deal also offered Alston probation before judgment if she completed 300 hours of community service and paid $800 in restitution, which she did.

Alston fought her removal from the legislature, which was ultimately upheld in the Maryland Supreme Court. In 2022, she once again won a seat in the House of Delegates, where she represents Prince George’s County as a Democrat.

Alston said the disbarment and criminal cases were “a difficult time in my life.” She is advancing legislation that would prevent discrimination against people with criminal records, she said.

“I am blessed the Supreme Court has seen fit to reinstatement my license to practice law and the voters have seen fit to allow me to represent them in Annapolis once again,” she said. “It is unfortunate that the rest of my life I will always have to answer these types of questions; but I know that my worst moments do not define who I am as a person.”