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Tiffany T. Alston (born April 22, 1977) is an
American politician In the United States, politics functions within a framework of a constitutional federal democratic republic with a presidential system. The three distinct branches share powers: Congress, which forms the legislative branch, a bicameral legis ...
who represented
Prince George's County Prince George's County (often shortened to PG County or PG) is located in the U.S. state of Maryland bordering the eastern portion of Washington, D.C. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 967,201, making it the second-most populous ...
District 24 A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...
in the
Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the Maryland General Assembly, legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House ...
since January 2023, and from January 2011 to January 2013. She was suspended from office in 2012 after being found guilty of stealing General Assembly funds to pay an employee at her law firm.


Background

Alston was born in
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, and grew up in
Prince George's County, Maryland Prince George's County (often shortened to PG County or PG) is located in the U.S. state of Maryland bordering the eastern portion of Washington, D.C. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the population was 967,201, making it ...
. She attended Seat Pleasant Elementary School. She graduated from the
University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD i ...
with a
Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
in criminology & criminal justice and from
David A. Clarke School of Law The University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law (UDC Law) is the law school of the University of the District of Columbia, a public historically black land-grant university in Washington, D.C. It is named after David A. ...
with a
Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...
in 2002. From 1999 to 2001, she was a volunteer teacher with the AmeriCorps National Service Corporation. From 2004 to 2005, she served as a Chief of Staff within the Division of Correction at the Maryland Department of Public Safety & Correctional Services. She is a former mentor of the I Have a Dream Foundation, and a member of
Sigma Gamma Rho Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. () is a historically African American sorority. The sorority was founded on November 12, 1922. The organization was formed as a sorority in 1922, by seven African American women in Indianapolis, Indiana. At its i ...
sorority. From 2004 to 2012, she practiced law with her own law firm, which was located in
Upper Marlboro, Maryland Upper Marlboro, officially the Town of Upper Marlboro, is the county seat of Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population within the town limits was 652, although Greater Upper ...
. Alston's law license was suspended by the
Maryland Court of Appeals The Supreme Court of Maryland (previously the Maryland Court of Appeals) is the highest court of the U.S. state of Maryland. The court, which is composed of one chief justice and six associate justices, meets in the Robert C. Murphy Courts of ...
on September 25, 2012, and she was disbarred on May 3, 2013.


In the legislature

Alston was a member of the House of Delegates from 2011 to 2013 and served on the Judiciary committee. She was a member of the
Prince George's County Delegation The Prince George's County Delegation refers to the 23 delegates who are elected from districts in Prince George's County, Maryland, to serve in the Maryland House of Delegates. Historical background Prince George's County has a rich ...
, the Women's Caucus, and the
Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland The Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, Inc. (also known as The Maryland Legislative Black Caucus) is an American political organization composed of African Americans elected to the Maryland General Assembly. Incorporated in 1970, the Caucus me ...
. In 2022, Alston filed to run for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 24, seeking to succeed state delegate Jazz Lewis, who was running for Congress in
Maryland's 4th congressional district Maryland's 4th congressional district wraps around the eastern edge of Washington, D.C., taking in most of Prince George's County, Maryland, Prince George's County and a small portion of Montgomery County, Maryland, Montgomery County. It is home ...
. She won election to the seat and was sworn in on January 11, 2023, and has since served in the Health and Government Operations Committee. In January 2024, former Baltimore State's Attorney
Marilyn Mosby Marilyn Mosby (née James; born January 22, 1980) is a former American politician and lawyer who served as the State's Attorney of Baltimore from 2015 to 2023. She was the youngest state prosecutor for any major city in the United States. Mosby ...
hired Alston to represent her in her disbarment case. In 2024, Alston applied to run as a delegate to the
Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...
pledged to
Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
, but was denied by the
Maryland Democratic Party The Maryland Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the state of Maryland, headquartered in Annapolis. The current acting state party chair is Charlene Dukes. It is currently the dominant party in the state, controlling a ...
.


Marriage equality

During the 2011 legislative session, Alston was a co-sponsor of "Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act". A similar bill was filed in the Maryland Senate (SB 116 -
Civil Marriage Protection Act Same-sex marriage has been legally recognized in Maryland since January 1, 2013. In 2012, the state's Democratic representatives, led by Governor Martin O'Malley, began a campaign for its legalization. After much debate, a law permitting same- ...
) and was assigned to the House Judiciary Committee, the committee on which Alston served. During the committee voting session on SB 116, Alston revoked her co-sponsorship and instead offered an amendment to change the bill from
same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...
to
civil union A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, primarily created to provide legal recognition for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage, with ch ...
s. The amendment failed, and Alston then voted against the bill. Despite Alston's vote, SB 116 was approved by the committee 12-10 and was forwarded to the full House of Delegates for final approval, but the bill was eventually sent back to committee, effectively terminating the bill for the session. Alston voted against the Civil Marriage Protection Act in committee when it was re-introduced in the 2012 legislative session, but voted for the bill after it was amended to block the bill from going into effect if efforts to bring it to a referendum were being litigated.


Criminal charges

Alston was
indicted An indictment ( ) is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that use the concept of felonies, the most serious criminal offense is a felony; jurisdictions that do not use that concept often use that of an indi ...
in an
Anne Arundel County Anne Arundel County (; ), also notated as AA or A.A. County, is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 588,261, an increase of just under 10% since 2010. Its county seat is Annapolis, wh ...
courtroom with
embezzlement Embezzlement (from Anglo-Norman, from Old French ''besillier'' ("to torment, etc."), of unknown origin) is a type of financial crime, usually involving theft of money from a business or employer. It often involves a trusted individual taking ...
on September 24, 2011 on one count each of felony and misdemeanor theft,
misappropriation In law, misappropriation is the unauthorized use of another's name, likeness, identity, property, discoveries, inventions, etc. without that person's permission, resulting in harm to that person. Another use of the word refers to intentional a ...
by a fiduciary and two election law offenses for allegedly using
Maryland General Assembly The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland that convenes within the State House in Annapolis. It is a bicameral body: the upper chamber, the Maryland Senate, has 47 representatives, and the lower ...
funds and her election campaign funds to cover her wedding expenses and to pay an employee of her law firm. Alston was found guilty of
misdemeanor A misdemeanor (American English, spelled misdemeanour elsewhere) is any "lesser" criminal act in some common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than more serious felonies, but theoretically more so than admi ...
theft Theft (, cognate to ) is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shor ...
of General Assembly funds and misconduct in office on June 12, 2012. The judge postponed sentencing until after a separate trial, scheduled for October 2012, on the charges regarding Alston's use of her 2010 campaign funds to pay her wedding-related expenses. On October 9, 2012, the judge struck the jury verdict and entered probation before judgement after Alston entered a plea deal agreed to pay $800 in restitution to the General Assembly and complete 300 hours of community service. On October 10, 2012, General Assembly Counsel Daniel A. Friedman announced that Alston was suspended from her office without pay or benefits due to a Maryland constitutional provision. Alston sued to try to get her legislative job back, but the Maryland Court of Appeals ruled against her on January 4, 2013.


Post-legislative career

In February 2014, Alston filed to run for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 24, seeking to gain her old seat back from Darren Swain. In order to run for this seat, Alston had to pay the Maryland State Board of Elections back for the $750 in late fees that she owed for failing to file timely campaign finance reports. She came in fourth place in the Democratic primary, receiving 13.0 percent of the vote. In 2017, Alston filed to run for
Maryland Senate The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single ...
, seeking to challenge two-term incumbent
Joanne C. Benson Joanne Claybon Benson (born March 11, 1941) is an American politician who represents Maryland Legislative District 24, District 24 in the Maryland State Senate. She formerly represented District 24 in the Maryland House of Delegates. Early life ...
. She received 31.5 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary election.


Electoral history


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alston, Tiffany T. Democratic Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century African-American politicians 21st-century African-American lawyers 1977 births Living people Maryland lawyers African-American state legislators in Maryland University of Maryland, College Park alumni David A. Clarke School of Law alumni 21st-century African-American women politicians Women state legislators in Maryland People from Mitchellville, Maryland Politicians from Washington, D.C. Politicians from Prince George's County, Maryland Maryland politicians convicted of crimes American politicians convicted of fraud 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century American women lawyers 21st-century members of the Maryland General Assembly