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Walter Orlinsky

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Walter Orlinsky
Born(1938-05-19)May 19, 1938
Baltimore, Maryland
DiedFebruary 9, 2002(2002-02-09) (aged 63)
Baltimore, Maryland
OccupationPolitician
Years active1966–2000
Known forPresident, Baltimore City Council, 1971–1982; resigned in extortion scandal

Walter "Wally" S. Orlinsky (May 19, 1938 – February 9, 2002) was an American politician who served in public office in the city of Baltimore and the state of Maryland. A Democrat, he was the president of the Baltimore City Council from 1971 to 1982, when he resigned after being charged with extortion.[1] Before being elected the City Council President, he served as a delegate to the Maryland House of Delegates from 1967 to 1968. Orlinsky was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Maryland in 1978.

After accepting a cash bribe in 1982 from a hauler which sought a city contract to transport sludge to Western Maryland, Orlinsky pled guilty to one charge of extortion.[2] He was sentenced to 6 months in prison, of which he served 4+12 months in the Allenwood Federal Prison.[3] Orlinsky received a pardon from President Bill Clinton in 2000. After his release from prison, Orlinsky worked as a restaurant maître d', a vendor at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, and executive director of a tree-planting program of the Maryland Forest Service. He died of cancer in 2002.[4]

The son of Harry Orlinsky and Donya (née Fein) Orlinsky, Walter was born in Baltimore in 1938. He attended Johns Hopkins University, where he participated with a group of student activists who unsuccessfully sought to integrate the nearby Blue Jay Restaurant by bringing Duke Ellington there after a concert on February 22, 1960.[5] Orlinsky attended University of Maryland Law School, and was admitted to practice law in Maryland in 1965.[4][6]

Orlinsky was Jewish.[7]

References

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  1. ^ "Walter Orlinsky, colorful city politician, dies at 63 - Baltimore Sun".
  2. ^ "GUILTY PLEA MADE BY BALTIMORE AIDE". The New York Times. September 23, 1982.
  3. ^ "Sentencing Set in Waste Fraud Case". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. 1983-04-18. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 1330888409.
  4. ^ a b "Latest News".
  5. ^ Pietila, Antero (2018). The Ghosts of Johns Hopkins. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 162&n.14. ISBN 978-1-5381-1603-6.
  6. ^ "Active Attorney Listing". mdcourts.gov.
  7. ^ Kampeas, Ron (May 15, 2024). "In Maryland Democratic Senate Primary, Alsobrooks Beats Trone". JMORE. Retrieved March 20, 2024.