It appears New Mexico isn’t the only state interested in Marc Correra’s role as an investor in a gambling proposal.

Mike Gallagher of the Albuquerque Journal has a story in today’s paper about Maryland lottery officials doing a background investigation on Correra’s suitability as an investor in a venture that will operate slot machines in Baltimore.

Gallagher reports that Correra has withdrawn from the partnership. But that isn’t putting a stop to the background investigation. Maryland officials are forging ahead, Gallagher writes.

Here’s an excerpt from the story:

Correra was part of a Maryland proposal that included Toronto developer Michael Moldenhaur, who also is involved in the Raton racino. Moldenhauer is listed as the CEO of Baltimore City Entertainment Group LP and Correra is a minority partner.

The Maryland spokesman said authorities there have been in contact with the New Mexico Gaming Control Board in recent weeks and are keeping an eye on developments.

Those following Marc Correra recall that he was an investor in a proposed racino racetrack for Raton, but he withdrew earlier this month after the partnership’s application for a license stalled.

Once Correra pulled out of the partnership, the New Mexico Gaming Control Board approved the license with strings attached.

The spokesman for the Maryland Lottery Commission told Gallagher that the background investigation into Correra will include a review of Correra’s exit from partnerships in both states.

Correra’s name has been much in New Mexico news lately.

Correra has drawn the interest of state lawmakers because of the $16 million or so that he has shared in finders’ fees as a third-party marketer on dozens of state investment deals involving the State Investment Council and Educational Retirement Board over the past half-dozen years.

One investment for which Correra shared in $2 million in fees involves Chicago-based Vanderbilt Financial Trust, according to an Educational Retirement Board document. The state lost its $90 million investment in that deal.

The state’s $90 million loss is the subject of a lawsuit filed by a former investment officer at the Educational Retirement Board. The former officer, Frank Foy, has alleged that there was a pay-to-play culture in how the state made investments and cited the Vanderbilt deal in particular. Officers at the State Investment Council and Educational Retirement Board, as well as Richardson administration officials, have vigorously denied Foy’s allegations.

Third-party marketers, until recently, were obscure figures in the investment world who acted as matchmakers between private investment funds and states looking for a good return on their money. Officials have said the agents played a legitimate role.

No one has accused Correra of any wrongdoing. Still, there’s a great deal of interest in his role that has arisen around his involvement in so many investment deals.