Former MD legislative aide sentenced for theft of scholarship funds

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A former legislative aide to Sen. William Smith Jr. has been sentenced to four consecutive weekends incarceration for stealing $20,000 in scholarship funds from the senator’s office.

Anne Arundel County Circuit Judge Stacy McCormack sentenced Esther Dikongue Wednesday, who pleaded guilty in March on charges of felony theft scheme, felony theft and unauthorized access to a computer system for stealing the funds.

McCormack ruled the former legislative aide will receive probation before judgment, with two years of supervised probation, for accepting the sentence of four consecutive weekends in jail. During the sentencing hearing Wednesday, Dikongue also presented a check for $20,000 restitution to the state of Maryland, according to the state prosecutor’s office.

“Our office worked hard in this case to raise awareness that abusing the trust the people of Maryland place in our legislative offices will result in criminal consequences,” said Maryland State Prosecutor Charlton Howard III in a statement. “We will continue our efforts to ensure Maryland government employees are held to the highest standard while serving the public interest.”

Thomas Maronick, Jr., counsel for Dikongue, said his client is pleased with the sentence and “looks forward to moving forward in her life.”

“Esther Dikongue took responsibility for her theft of scholarship funds, and received a probation before judgment which is not a conviction under Maryland law,” Maronick said.

Smith did not immediately return a request for comment.

According to the indictment, Dikongue awarded herself a senatorial scholarship by advising the Maryland Higher Education Commission, the organization that disburses scholarships to scholarship recipients, that she was one of the students selected to receive scholarship funds in the amount of $10,000 through Smith’s selection process, despite Dikongue never having submitted a scholarship application.

The indictment stated Dikongue continued to log onto Smith’s email account after her employment ended in March 2023 to send emails from Smith’s senatorial email to MHEC indicating Smith’s office authorized her scholarship be moved from the spring of 2025 to the summer semester of 2024. The indictment said Dikongue emailed MHEC three separate times after her employment with Smith’s office had ended, using the signature lines of other legislative aides.

The Maryland Senatorial Scholarship is awarded, through legislative delegations by specific districts, to Maryland residents planning to pursue a postsecondary education at qualifying colleges. According to the indictment, Maryland state senators are provided an annual budget for the scholarships, with each senator having the discretion to determine selection criteria for student award recipients and the division of scholarship amounts among awarded students.

Smith, who represents District 20 in Montgomery County, created a scholarship committee composed of community volunteers who review scholarship applications and make recommendations to Smith regarding the student awards.

To qualify for a Maryland Senatorial Scholarship from Smith’s office, a student must reside in Smith’s legislative district and must either attend a Maryland college or provide documentation that an out-of-state school offers a qualifying unique major not available through a Maryland school. Students must also write an essay responding to questions provided by Smith.

Once a scholarship award is made to a student, MHEC automatically renews the same amount for subsequent school terms until the student obtains their degree, according to the indictment.

Smith’s average scholarship award amounts range from $500 to $1,500 per student, with Smith awarding more than $1,500 only under rare circumstances, the indictment stated.

Editor’s note: This story was updated to include comment from Dikongue’s counsel.