Larry Young (born November 25, 1949, in
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
) is a former member of the
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- ...
from 1988 to 1998, representing Baltimore's 44th district. He was expelled from the Senate in 1998 over ethics charges,
but later acquitted at his own trial.
Background
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, on November 25, 1949, Young attended Baltimore City public schools.
Career
Legislature
Young was a member of the
Maryland House of Delegates
The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the legislature of the State of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House on State Circle in Annapolis, ...
from 1975 to 1988, representing District 38 (Baltimore City). He was Chair of the Environmental Matters Committee, 1983–87 (member, 1975–83) and Chair of the
Baltimore City Delegation
The Baltimore City Delegation refers to the delegates who are elected from districts in Baltimore to serve in the Maryland House of Delegates in the United States. By 1983, the Baltimore City Delegation had 27 members, 3 each from 9 districts ...
, 1987–88.
In June 1988 Young sought to become chairman of 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 ...
, a position that is determined by a vote of African-Americans serving in the
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 chamb ...
. The caucus elected
Curt Anderson
Curtis Stovall Anderson (born October 12, 1949) is an American politician, lawyer and former broadcast journalist. He was first elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1983, is the chairman of the Baltimore City Delegation, and past cha ...
over Young when Young was under investigation by a Baltimore grand jury for assault and filing a false kidnapping report.
Young was a member of the Maryland Senate from 1988 to 1998, representing Baltimore City District 44 (1992–98) and Baltimore City District 39 (1988–92). He served on the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee from 1988 to 1990. From 1990 to 1998 he served on the Senate Finance Committee.
Expulsion
The Maryland Senate expelled Young on January 16, 1998, for using his position to profit his private business. Young, who sat as chairman of the Health subcommittee of the Senate Finance Committee, was also president of a private, for-profit health consulting firm called the LY Group. The ethics committee found that Young used his position and influence to leverage $10,000–99,000 into the LY Group. In addition, the committee found that Young solicited and accepted a number of gifts in violation of the ethics law, including a $24,800 1995 blue
Lincoln Town Car
The Lincoln Town Car is a model line of full-size luxury sedans that was marketed by the Lincoln division of the American automaker Ford Motor Company. Deriving its name from a limousine body style, Lincoln marketed the Town Car from 1981 to ...
. He was later acquitted of criminal bribery charges.
In popular culture
Young has since presented a talk radio show, and played a talk radio show host in the
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
drama ''
The Wire
''The Wire'' is an American Crime film, crime drama Television show, television series created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon. The series was broadcast by the cable network HBO in the United States. ''The ...
''.
In an essay in the official series guide, ''The Wire: Truth Be Told'',
William Zorzi implies that the character of the corrupt and venal Maryland State Senator
Clay Davis
R. Clayton "Clay" Davis is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire (TV series), The Wire'', played by actor Isiah Whitlock, Jr. Davis is a corrupt Maryland State Senate, Maryland State Senator with a reputation for pocketing bribes. How ...
is patterned on Young.
The details of Larry Young's false abduction report and the resulting political aftermath is described in David Simon's ''
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets''. In the book,
[Homicide
Homicide occurs when a person kills another person. A homicide requires only a volitional act or omission that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from accidental, reckless, or negligent acts even if there is no inten ...]
"> it is implied that Young's false report was an attempted cover up for his own assault against a political aide, in an argument over Young's sexual advances against the aide's fiancé.