Ask Maryland’s State Prosecutor to Investigate Commissioner Jeff Cline’s Housing Arrangement
We encourage residents to submit a complaint to the Maryland Office of the State Prosecutor requesting an independent investigation into whether Washington County Commissioner Jeff Cline has received housing benefits from his largest campaign donor and whether any such benefits were intended to influence his official duties.
Cline lists his residence in a Funkstown apartment building owned by a company belonging to developer Paul Crampton Jr. We verified the residence through voter registration information and independently confirmed the building’s ownership. Crampton has contributed $4,000 to Cline’s reelection campaign this year alone, making him Cline’s largest individual campaign donor.
Multiple people have told us that Cline receives discounted rent. We have not independently verified those accounts or established what he pays. Investigators should examine the lease and payment records to determine whether any discount, waived rent or other housing benefit exists, when it began and why it was offered.
The relationship also intersects with public funding. Hager 5 LLC, owned by Crampton, Washington County Commissioners President John Barr, and former commissioners president Greg Snook, was approved for a $500,000 award through the Senator George C. Edwards Fund while Cline served on the board overseeing that money.
Cline is recorded as present at every 2024 board meeting with posted minutes, including a meeting where Hager 5’s grant application was discussed. Those attendance records leave questions about his participation, any disclosures and any recusal. Investigators should also establish whether his housing relationship existed when the application and award were considered.
His 2025 financial disclosure answers “No” to holding real property interests and the question expressly includes interests “as an owner or a tenant.” He also reported no covered gifts and left the section explaining potential conflicts blank. Establishing when he began living at the property and whether he received any housing benefit during 2025 is necessary to assess those answers.
If a housing benefit was provided and knowingly accepted to influence Cline’s official duties, it could constitute bribery under Maryland Criminal Law §9-201. That requires evidence of both the benefit and its connection to official action or inaction, which an investigation should examine.
We asked Cline whether he pays market-rate rent, disclosed the arrangement, recused himself from matters affecting Crampton, or obtained an Ethics Commission opinion. After two weeks, he has not responded.
The Maryland Office of the State Prosecutor investigates bribery involving public officials and misconduct in office. We encourage residents concerned about these documented connections and unresolved allegations to request an independent investigation through its online complaint form.
Anonymous complaints are accepted, although providing contact information allows investigators to follow up. Anyone unable to submit electronically can call 410-321-4067.