D.C.’s attorney general is suing three Maryland drivers, saying they’ve each racked up tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid traffic tickets over the course of more than a decade.
According to D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb, at the time the suit was filed Friday, Andre Bowman owes D.C. $36,986 for 135 traffic infractions; Earl Curtis owes D.C. $27,882 for 115 violations; and Leon Carter owes the District $30,666 for 84 infractions.
Schwalb is taking action under new authority granted by the D.C. Council to bring civil suits against drivers from anywhere, not just D.C., who have large balances of unpaid moving violations.
It’s the first lawsuit of its kind since the Strengthening Traffic Enforcement, Education, and Responsibility (STEER) Act went into effect in October.
“Traffic deaths in the District are at historic levels — 52 people tragically lost their lives in traffic crashes last year alone. Too many drivers dangerously speed through the District and, as a result, too many District residents don’t feel safe walking in their neighborhoods,” Schwalb said.
Many drivers who endanger residents, Schwalb said, come from outside D.C. and “have snubbed their noses at our traffic laws.”
According to the lawsuit, Bowman accrued 135 citations from August 2013 to March 2024 across five different license plates. During that time, he amassed 94 speeding tickets, including three for driving more than 30 mph over the speed limit and six for driving more than 20 mph over the limit.
Earl Curtis got his 115 citations from December 2012 to August 2024, according to Schwalb’s office. In one of those years alone, he was ticketed 82 times. The lawsuit said Curtis has gotten one ticket for driving between 21 and 25 mph over the limit and 10 for driving 16 to 20 over. Twenty of his tickets, the lawsuit states, were for running red lights.
From June 2013 to August 2022, Leon Carter racked up 84 citations, 80 of them for speeding and 19 of those for driving 20 mph or more over the posted limit.
“The STEER Act finally gives teeth to our automated traffic cameras. These lawsuits, and the ones to follow, should send a strong message that if you drive dangerously — no matter where you live — we will hold you accountable,” said Council member Charles Allen, who introduced the legislation in 2023.
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