The indictment alleges that in 2004, Dixon received gift cards used to buy electronics including a PlayStation 2, CDs and DVDs. The cards were intended to be given to needy families but Dixon used them to purchase items for herself, it says.
Those actions violate the city's Ethics Disclosure Law under which public employees are required to disclose gifts, the indictment says.
Dixon, 55, a Democrat who is the city's first female mayor, issued a statement saying she had done nothing wrong.
"I am being unfairly accused," the statement said. "Time will prove I have done nothing wrong and I am confident that I will be found innocent of these charges."
The Baltimore Sun newspaper identified the former boyfriend as developer Ronald H. Lipscomb, who was also charged earlier this week.
