Washington County treasurer candidate's legal woes extended to 2010

A Republican candidate running for Washington County treasurer in Tuesday's primary election said previously that he fell behind on car loan payments and fought off attempts to garnish his wages after his wife lost her job during the COVID-19 pandemic.

But court filings related to Mam Malick Thiam's loan extend to 2010 when MCT Federal Credit Union in Rockville, Maryland, attempted to recover $20,753 from him, according to Washington County District Court records.

The other Republican candidate for the job of the county's top tax collector is Robert M. Breeding, who previously answered questions about a suspension he faced in 1994 when he was a Maryland State Police trooper, as well as charges he once faced in separate matters.

Absent a write-in campaign from a third candidate in the Nov. 8 general election, it's shaping up that one of the Republicans will be the next treasurer since no Democrats filed to run in the primary.

Thiam, 72, of Hagerstown, is a residential/support manager for CSAAC, which provides services for autistic children and adults. The organization has 60 homes throughout Maryland and a school in Montgomery County, said Thiam, who is married to state Del. Brenda Thiam, R-Washington.

Thiam said previously in a recent Herald-Mail Media interview that he took out a loan to purchase a $27,000 vehicle, primarily for his job.

When his wife lost her job about two years ago just before the COVID-19 pandemic began, Thiam said it was up to him to keep the couple's bills paid. He fell behind in loan payments over a six-month period.

Thiam said a lawyer for the bank that supplied the loan attempted to garnish his wages. A judge dismissed the garnishment attempt, and there was a settlement to pay an outstanding amount of $5,000, Thiam said.

On May 31, the matter was listed as "satisfied" in Washington County District Court records.

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How did the case against Thiam start?

In late 2010, Thiam was issued a writ of summons to appear in Washington County District Court for an upcoming trial over the matter, according to district court records. MCT Federal Credit Union alleged that Thiam defaulted on a contract and the credit union was seeking $20,753 from Thiam and his wife.

"Demands for payment have been made and refused," according to allegations in the paperwork.

On July 7, 2016, MCT Federal Credit Union asked the court to vacate a dismissal order in the case. The credit union said in court papers that Thiam filed a settlement plan wherein he would pay $200 a month. But the credit union claimed he was not making payments as agreed.

Earlier that year, Thiam filed a letter with the court requesting leniency concerning a garnishment placed on his bank account. Thiam said in the letter that he does his best to pay his monthly bills but sometimes he faces financial challenges.

Contacted by phone last week, Thiam said the legal challenges stemmed from a tough time in his life when he was trying to provide for his family and meet his financial obligations.

He emigrated from Guinea in western Africa in 2000 and moved between a number of jobs. He recalled how he "only had $50 in his pocket" when he arrived in the U.S.

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'It was a hard time for me'

Thiam said he started college classes and at one point was making $5.60 an hour working as a counselor.

"You can imagine (at) $5.60 an hour how much you can bring home." Thiam said. "It was a hard time for me."

He emphasized that the loan has been paid and now he is ready for new challenges.

"Now I feel like I can do something (positive)," Thiam said.

What Breeding has said about police suspension, unrelated charges

Breeding, 63, was suspended from his state police trooper job in 1994 after being accused of going into a Baltimore County nursing home, showing his badge and announcing he was investigating reports of Alzheimer's patients being coerced to vote, according to a Nov. 13, 1994, story in The Washington Post.

It came during a close state governor's race between GOP nominee Ellen R. Sauerbrey and Democrat Parris N. Glendening. Breeding was working for the Republican candidate in his spare time.

A state police spokesman said at the time that troopers may not act on behalf of any campaign while portraying themselves as state police officers.

Breeding said the allegations were unfounded and he was reinstated with pay. He denied conducting such an investigation and said the allegations stemmed from an individual he knew at the home who identified him as a trooper when he went in the facility.

Breeding was accused of breaking into a house of his estranged wife in Cumberland, Md., on Christmas Eve, according to a Dec. 26, 2008, story in the Cumberland Times-News. He was charged with burglary, trespassing, theft and resisting arrest, according to the story.

Breeding said the charges were dropped, and he attributed them to allegations that were "spun up out of control" in a divorce.

He also acknowledged being charged with two counts of perjury in 2008 for allegedly giving false testimony in a divorce proceeding. He said there was no conviction, adding that anyone can walk into a court and make an allegation, no matter how accurate it might be. Then the "truth comes out in court," Breeding said.

Candidate experience

In a recent Herald-Mail Q&A, the candidates cited experience or education as preparation for being county treasurer.

Breeding said he has managed over 200 employees across a four-state region and is well-qualified to manage a small office. He also noted experience with budgets of more than $75 million and believes he possesses a broad knowledge of government technology information management and processing systems.

Thiam said he holds a bachelor’s degree from University Polytechnic Gamal Abdel Nasser, Guinea; a master’s degree from CUL Belgium in political science and management; and an MBA from Strayer University. He said he studied a professional computer accounting program from Ashworth University in Atlanta. He worked with Halco subsidiary of ALCOA in Guinea as superintendent for 25 years.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Washington County treasurer candidate faced legal woes over loan