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Maryland
‘I was sick inside:’ UMMS leaders detail Snyder’s alleged extortion in trial
When Dr. Stephen Bartlett, then one of the top officials at the University of Maryland Medical System, arrived at the Capital Grille in downtown Baltimore for dinner with medical malpractice attorney Stephen L. Snyder, he was guided to the bar where the maître d’ handed him an envelope.
It contained graphic images of a hospital patient whose transplant surgery had gone wrong. Snyder said he wanted $25 million to keep it quiet. They eventually sat down to eat with their significant others.
Snyder, who Bartlett recalled was red-faced with bloodshot eyes, said multiple times to Bartlett’s wife, “As long as he does what I want him to do, you’ll be OK.”
“I was sick inside,” Bartlett recalled. “I felt as if I had just had dinner with a very bad person.”
Bartlett was among the hospital system leaders who have testified at the federal extortion trial of Snyder, who earned hundreds of millions of dollars in his career and was regarded as one of the top plaintiffs attorneys in the state. Federal prosecutors say he went too far in 2018, demanding $25 million for a sham consultant position or else he would expose what he alleged were severe problems in the hospital’s organ transplant program.
Bartlett, who was one of the highest paid employees in the state when he departed in late 2018, defended the hospital’s program. He said the hospital recognized in the 1990s that more people’s lives could be saved or extended by using kidneys that were being discarded.
“People were not getting transplants who should have,” Bartlett testified.
Another official, Dr. Depriest Whye, testified Wednesday that Snyder’s accusations contained “inaccuracies, falsehoods and distortions.”
Snyder counters that data show the University of Maryland was out on a limb, and that he consulted with experts who agreed. Two of them are expected to testify during his defense presentation.
The hospital system agreed to pay settlements of $8.5 million and $5 million to two of his clients, which Snyder said was far above what would be expected. He called it a “Snyder premium” because he was known as an effective litigator.
Bartlett took part in a settlement conference for one of those clients, and said Snyder asked him to step out into the hallway where he said he knew of deeper problems at the hospital. He asked for Bartlett’s cell phone number.
“I really wanted to learn what it is he knew,” Bartlett testified.
That led to the dinner in March 2018. Bartlett’s wife testified that Snyder told the couple they could come to Miami and ride around in his Rolls Royce, but also kept directing the conversation back to her husband’s need to comply with his demand. She said she was “scared and threatened,” and believed Snyder was “unstable.”
“If you felt threatened, why didn’t you get up and leave?” Snyder, who is representing himself, asked her on cross-examination.
“I didn’t want to be rude,” she said.
At one point, Snyder asked Bartlett about what he said were “serious infections” of a kidney transplanted into a patient who died. Bartlett said he disagreed with Snyder’s assessment of the organ.
“Are you saying I made that up?” Snyder asked.
“I’m suggesting you don’t understand the medicine,” Bartlett replied.
Calling all outdoorsmen and women — Maryland’s Lower Shore is home to some of the best hiking, walking and running trails on the East Coast.
Here’s a closer look at four picturesque parks and preserves with nature trails in the Berlin, Salisbury and Ocean City area.
Assateague Island
Assateague Island offers a wide variety of paved and unpaved trails open for hiking and 37 miles of flat beach terrain for wandering and beachcombing. Assateague Island’s Maryland District features a Life of the Dunes trail, Life of the Forest trail, Life of the Marsh trail.
Furnace Town
Furnace Town is nestled between the Pocomoke State Forest and Nature Conservancy’s Nassawango Creek Preserve. The popular historical site offers three Nature Conservancy Trails, three Maryland Forest service Trails, and a 26-acre outdoor museum and recreation area.
Pemberton Historical Park
Pemberton Historical Park, a 262-acre area featuring a trail system, outdoor amphitheater and more, was created in the 1980s. The park offers 4.5 miles of nature trails for walking and hiking only, allowing visitors to explore wetlands, forests and more of the natural world.
Nassawango Creek Preserve
Nassawango Creek Preserve’s primeval forest has an abundance of bald cypress and black gum trees. Visitors are invited to indulge in its four trails, the Nassawango Joe, Prothonotary Warbler, Ron Wilson Memorial Trail and Leifer Trail, as well as self-guided audio tours.
Olivia Minzola covers communities on the Lower Shore. Contact her with tips and story ideas at ominzola@delmarvanow.com.
The 21-year-old second baseman and 11th overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft has deep ties to the D.C. region.
(Courtesy Washington Nationals)
Courtesy Washington Nationals
(Courtesy Washington Nationals)
Courtesy Washington Nationals
(Courtesy Washington Nationals)
Courtesy Washington Nationals
(Courtesy Washington Nationals)
Courtesy Washington Nationals
(Courtesy Washington Nationals)
Courtesy Washington Nationals
(Courtesy Washington Nationals)
Courtesy Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals’ first-round draft pick Chris Hacopian inked his first professional contract Wednesday, a moment made sweeter by the fact it was just a 30-minute drive from home to get to Nationals Park and put pen to paper.
The 21-year-old second baseman and 11th overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft has deep ties to the D.C. region. He’s from Potomac, Maryland, and played his high school ball at Winston Churchill, where he was named the 2022 Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year and a 2022 Washington Post All-Met selection.
According to MLB.com, Hacopian grew up a Nationals fan, admiring the likes of Ian Desmond, Danny Espinosa and others. He also played his first two collegiate seasons at the University of Maryland, where his father Derek played before him, before transferring to Texas A&M for his junior season.
With the Aggies, Hacopian hit .319 with 11 home runs and 41 RBI across 42 games en route to being named First-Team All-Southeastern Conference and a Third-Team All-American by Baseball America, the Nationals said in a news release.
After inking his contract Wednesday, Hacopian donned his new jersey and ball cap and stepped onto D.C.’s beloved diamond as a part of the Nationals organization for the first time.
“That was so cool, oh my gosh. I’ve been in the stands like, 100 times, but being on the field is so different,” he said.
Hacopian was ranked 14th among MLB Draft prospects by MLB.com. The 6-foot-1-inch, 210-pound second baseman boasted one of the best bats in college baseball, according to MLB.com, with excellent control over the strike zone and feel for the barrel, along with solid pop.
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The state said the five recently traveled together to “a location in the U.S. experiencing an active measles outbreak.”
Maryland health officials confirmed five more measles cases, all in Carroll County.
“These individuals recently traveled together to a location in the U.S. experiencing an active measles outbreak,” the state Department of Health said in a release.
The agency said others may have been exposed on the afternoon of July 13 in the emergency department waiting room at Carroll Hospital Center in Westminster.
Another measles case recently prompted warnings from health officials in Maryland, Virginia and the District. On June 17, a Maryland resident traveled through Dulles International Airport and visited a D.C. urgent care clinic.
Measles is highly contagious. It can spread through the air through coughs, breathing, and sneezes. Early symptoms can include fevers of over 101 degrees, coughs, runny noses, watery eyes and face or body rashes.
It can take up to 21 days after exposure for the first symptoms to appear, and those who are not fully vaccinated or otherwise immune to measles are especially vulnerable.
The five new measles cases in Maryland bring the state’s year-to-date total to nine. The state health department confirmed three cases in 2025, and one in each of the previous two years.
“All Marylanders should review potential exposure times, watch for symptoms, and confirm they are up to date on their measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccinations,” the health department said.
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© 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
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