State auditor: Baltimore City register of wills office failed to justify more than $1 million in spending

Key takeaways

Audit found $1.1 million in unjustified spending by the Register of Wills .

$197K spent on an unaired TV show about the probate process.

Office split payments to bypass competitive bidding rules.

Potential ethics violations identified but no criminal referrals made.

The Baltimore City Office of the Register of Wills failed to justify $1.1 million in spending on media and promotional material from 2017 to 2024, including almost $200,000 for a television show that never aired, according to a report by the state auditor.

The report, by the Maryland Office of Legislative Audits , also found that the office run by Register of Wills Belinda Conaway avoided the competitive procurement process by repeatedly dividing payments to vendors in amounts below $5,000.

The review