Jerome Isaac Hurley, 44, was charged in April with one count of theft of more than $100,000, a felony in Maryland law punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Hurley appeared Friday in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court in Annapolis. His next hearing is scheduled for Dec. 4 with trial set to begin Dec. 10, according to the Maryland Judiciary.

Mark Lechowicz, Hurley’s defense attorney, declined to comment Monday.

On Sept. 5, 2023, Anne Arundel County Police went to the Miracle Temple along Southern Maryland Boulevard after being alerted to a theft, according to charging documents.

Police said church officials had recently discovered $347,000 of a $350,000 insurance check had been transferred from their Bank of America checking account into Hurley’s personal account.

According to charging documents, Hurley filed a successful insurance claim in March 2020 after a residence on the church’s property caught fire. Church officials told investigators that throughout Hurley’s seven years at Miracle Temple, from 2015 to 2022, he handled bank statements and finances.

A year after the fire, when the claim was vetted and a check was issued, Hurley took the vast majority of the insurance money from the temple’s account, police said. Charging documents reference bank account numbers and the dates of several bank transfers, including when the insurance money cleared the church’s account and when it was allegedly transferred to Hurley nine days later.

The church’s attempts to contact Hurley about the money were unsuccessful, police said. In February 2023, the Miracle Temple’s board sent Hurley a certified letter saying they had entrusted him “to act in good faith” when handling the church’s finances and that they had never been notified of the insurance claim or the $350,000 check, according to charging documents.

Police did not indicate what Hurley may have spent the money on once it was in his account.

A representative for Miracle Temple declined to comment Monday on Hurley’s case or time with the church.

A spokesperson with the Anne Arundel County Fire Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the 2020 fire at Miracle Temple.

Since last year, Hurley’s case is at least the second criminal accusation levied against a church official in Anne Arundel County involving church money.

In March 2023, Marie Simeone was charged with embezzlement and two felony theft counts after she was accused of taking nearly $65,000 from the Our Lady of Sorrows Roman Catholic Church in West River.

Simeone, who was the church’s director of operations until about three months before she was charged, allegedly made personal purchases at several businesses, subscribed to magazines and streaming services, went to restaurants and paid her utility bills using church funds, prosecutors said.

In November 2023, Simeone pleaded guilty to a felony theft scheme charge and was granted probation before judgment.

Donald Joseph Powell, 47, of Davidsonville, submitted Alford pleas to second-degree assault and a fourth-degree sex offense — a sex crime often levied against a person in a position of authority.

Alford pleas are not an admission of guilt, but rather acknowledge that if the case had gone to trial, there would have been enough evidence to convict. In terms of sentencing, however, it is weighed the same as a guilty plea.

Having engaged counsel in “lengthy” discussions before Friday’s hearing, Anne Arundel Circuit Judge Stacy McCormack upheld an agreed-upon punishment and ordered Powell to serve five years of supervised probation.

During that time, he will be enrolled in the state’s Collaborative Offender Management/Enforced Treatment (COMET) program, an intensive therapeutic and monitoring program established by the Maryland General Assembly in 2006. Powell’s movements will be tracked with a GPS anklet and how he uses his devices will be supervised. He will also have to submit to polygraph tests and complete a psychosexual evaluation.

Powell was also given credit for four days he spent in jail when he was arrested in April. Since posting a $10,000 bond, Powell has been on pre-trial release, according to defense attorney Peter O’Neill.

Investigators first interviewed a 16-year-old girl in January in connection to Powell, according to charging documents.

Assistant State’s Attorney Anastasia Prigge said in August 2023, the teenager started playing for Powell with the South River Athletic Association and took on a leadership role with the team.

At first, her relationship with her coach, who was also known as DJ, was normal, Prigge said. But in November, Powell began messaging the girl outside of games and practices, making sexual comments and giving her gifts, including alcohol, according to charging documents.

Eventually, Powell went to the teenager’s home when her parents were not home. While the softball player was sitting in his truck, Powell kissed her, made lewd comments and touched her, Prigge said.

The girl told investigators she was afraid to decline Powell’s advances, in part because she knew Powell had guns and believed he kept one in his truck, police said.

Prigge said Friday another player reported similar “grooming” behavior from Powell but said she had never been touched.

Powell, who is married with three children, was arrested in April and indicted by a grand jury in May. His wife, who O’Neill described as his client’s “rock,” sat in court Friday behind Powell.

Without naming the businesses, O’Neill said Powell had lost his long-standing assistant manager job as a result of his arrest and with Friday’s conviction was at risk of losing a new position. He said Powell had acknowledged the relationship with his player was inappropriate and as the adult, should have   prevented it from happening.

“He understands there’s a heavy price to pay,” O’Neill said.

The defense attorney declined to comment further after Friday’s hearing.

The teenage player attended Friday’s hearing, surrounded by her parents. In a statement read by Prigge, she recalled seeing her mom find out about the investigation. Her “heart dropped,” she said, afraid her parents or Powell were going to be angry with her.

She said her grades began to slip and she was unable to express her “great love” with others.

She has since made friends in a new school, she wrote, and feels comfortable in her new home. She said after Friday’s hearing, she was ready to close this chapter of her life and that Powell’s conviction was the final piece of a puzzle.

McCormack told the teenager, “You are way stronger than you may have given yourself credit for…you’re going to come out stronger.”

Police went to the 700 block of Newtowne Drive at approximately 5 p.m. following reports of a shooting, according to a news release. There, they found a man suffering from injuries that were not life threatening, police said, as well as physical evidence of gunfire in the area. The release did not indicate what, if anything, was recovered from the scene.

The man was transported to an area hospital and as of Tuesday, is in stable condition, according to Annapolis Police Lt. Kevin Krauss.

Krauss said though the shooting happened with others outside, it was not a “random” attack.

City investigators recovered a vehicle in Baltimore they believe was involved in the incident, according to their release. Krauss said the attack was not a drive-by shooting.

Police did not release any information about a suspect.

Matthew Schlegel, 44, is accused of touching eight of his female students between 2022 and 2024. In court documents, one girl said she thought Schlegel was a “doctor in disguise” because of how often he had touched her.

Though he was removed “indefinitely” from his classroom position in March, once the school system heard the first allegation, Schlegel was not arrested until May.

In that time, Child Protective Services conducted interviews with the alleged victims, as well as four of their classmates who said they both witnessed inappropriate behavior and had their own uncomfortable experiences with Schlegel.

In their conversations, the students described Schlegel’s class as one that favored the girls over the boys.

According to court filings, girls were often invited to the teacher’s desk, where he kept children’s books, and sometimes the students were placed on his lap. There, they said they were touched by pencils and fingers both in and out of their clothes. Boys would stay at their own tables and were helped from across the room.

The kids also told investigators Schlegel would give out prizes and candy to students after they’d earned a certain number of points. Sometimes, girls would be given a treat before earning them, they said.

In their summaries of the interviews, prosecutors wrote that some of the girls would talk to one another about their experiences, telling themselves they would be okay and “they would get through it.” Others only told their parents.

Many said they were touched when receiving help on a math question at his desk or when he crouched down to theirs. Other times, girls were touched when they went to the bathroom, police said.

Defense attorney Peter O’Neill declined to comment.

Since his arrest, Schlegel’s family and a large group of supporters have attended his court appearances. Relatives, family friends, neighbors, a former coworker and a former student submitted letters to the court in May attesting to his character.

Many of the alleged victims described Schlegel as a nice teacher and one, though shocked when touched, said she didn’t want to “make him feel bad” by telling him she was uncomfortable.

During a hearing Friday morning in Anne Arundel Circuit Court, defense attorney Peter O’Neill said he and attorney Patrick Seidel were still waiting to receive and review evidence in the case. Some of the material from the Department of Human Services is so “voluminous” that a production deadline was missed, he said, though prosecutors told the court the department was close to finishing its work.

Even if the defense receives everything they are entitled to, O’Neill said the start of trial may push past Dec. 3 and beyond Dec. 7, when a trial would usually have to begin under the Hicks rule. In Maryland, a defendant is entitled to a trial within 180 days of their counsel’s first appearance, though that right can be waived under certain circumstances.

O’Neill told McCormack there are nearly 50 hours of interviews. Additionally, a representative from the Board of Education turned in folders of unspecified records to the court Friday. The school system does not comment on active litigation, said spokesperson Bob Mosier.

According to Assistant State’s Attorney Anastasia Prigge, the trial is expected to take two weeks.

Defense counsel also told McCormack that their team had made multiple requests to have a laptop returned to Schlegel’s family after a forensic examination reported no issues with it. He also said a folder containing attorney-client information was seized during a search of his Severna Park home.

Less than a month after his arrest, Schlegel was indicted on 55 charges, including 11 counts of child sex abuse and 18 counts of fourth-degree sex offense — a charge often levied against a person in a position of authority.

Another hearing between Anne Arundel Circuit Judge Stacy McCormack to discuss discovery issues is set for Sept. 13.

Though Schlegel has been arrested, Child Abuse Unit detectives are asking anyone with information on this or other potential cases to call 410-222-4733. Anonymous tips may also be left on the Anne Arundel County Police Tip Line at 410-222-4700.

Maryland law states evidence occurring before or after the offense can be admitted so long as it is introduced at least 90 days before trial. As of Thursday, a trial date has not been set.

Robert “Reb” Beatty, 43, became an associate professor in the School of Business and Law in 2011, according to the college’s website, and was later named an academic chair. He teaches accounting, finance and statistics courses, according to the school.

Representatives for the college declined to comment on Beatty’s employment status.

“Anne Arundel Community College is committed to maintaining a safe and respectful environment for all members of our community,” said Dan Baum, the school’s executive director of strategic communications, adding the college takes “the necessary steps to address any concerns with the utmost seriousness.

In court filings, the teenage student wrote that when she was in one of Beatty’s accounting classes, the professor began flirting with her after she agreed to babysit his children. At the time, she was a high school student taking a college course. In her complaint, she said Beatty delivered flowers to her home when she graduated high school. There was no note, she wrote, “so [her] parents wouldn’t know who left them.”

The teenager said she initially resisted Beatty’s advances, stating he would tickle her and had even pressed her against a wall. Eventually, she agreed to go over to his house but continued to say no to sex, though their relationship, as she called it, advanced.

One night when they were together, Beatty gave the student alcohol “to the point [she] couldn’t walk,” according to court documents. They then had unprotected sex “against [her] will.” When she said she wanted to get a morning after pill, which could prevent a pregnancy, Beatty said no, according to the complaint.

As of Thursday, no criminal charges have been filed against Beatty. A county police spokesperson declined to say if the department was investigating him.

On Aug. 19, Beatty agreed to the protective order filed against him by the student at the beginning of the month. As such, the case did not go to trial. According to the Maryland Judiciary, Beatty is not allowed to contact the student or go to her home through the end of the year.

Crighton Andrew Chase, who represented Beatty, in court declined to comment.

According to the college’s website, Beatty began teaching after playing professional soccer. A 1998 graduate from Archbishop Spalding in Severn, where he was named all-county player of the year, Beatty became a goalkeeper and excelled. He then went to Italy to play professionally but a career-ending injury led to him starting an import-export business in the European country.

Beatty returned to the United States and worked as a public accountant before starting at Anne Arundel Community College. On RateMyProfessors.com, a site where students evaluate their teachers, Beatty was overwhelmingly endorsed with students reporting him as an “insanely smart” and caring leader of challenging courses.

In 2017, Beatty’s classroom became the site of a viral internet moment. When administering a test, the professor allowed students to bring a 3×5 note card as a reference sheet. One student, a freshman, discovered a loophole when they brought a 3-foot-by-5-foot index card to the test. The student passed the test and Beatty described the experience in a 2017 interview with the Capital Gazette as “well played” and a lesson learned.

Despite the praise from other students, the teenager described a series of manipulative and aggressive behaviors from Beatty throughout their relationship. In addition to his insistence on unprotected sex, she alleged Beatty convinced her that her parents “were not looking out for [her] best interests.” She said her professor bought her a new phone and “strongly urged” her to block her family on it, according to the complaint.

The student said she was planning on running away from home to live with him before realizing she “wasn’t in a safe place.”

“I didn’t think he would let me leave if I tried to pack up and leave. I knew he would manipulate me and make me feel like I can’t leave,” the teenager wrote in her complaint. “He was very adamant that he had a lot to lose, and I had little to lose. I knew that if I was getting out of there I needed to go immediately and quickly.”

The student said she ran out of Beatty’s house and into her brother’s car, “shook and crying.”

Schlegel, 43, has been in jail since May, two months after the first allegation was made and he was removed “indefinitely” from his classroom position. The school system placed him in a non-student-facing role while an investigation was completed.

Public schools spokesperson Bob Mosier has repeatedly declined to comment on the case.

A grand jury indicted the former teacher in June on 55 charges, including 11 counts of child sex abuse and 18 counts of fourth-degree sex offense. The indictment substantially increased an already hefty case, which began with 36 offenses that allegedly took place between 2022 and 2024.

Schlegel has been held without bail since his arrest and is scheduled to appear Friday in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court.

According to charging documents, Child Protective Services conducted interviews with eight of Schlegel’s former female students. Schlegel has worked in the Anne Arundel school system since 2008, first at Tyler Heights Elementary before teaching at Severna Park Elementary.

The students told investigators that Schlegel touched or groped them during class or when they went to the bathroom.

At times, the behavior was discreet, made under students’ desks or at his own, police said. Other times, they were made in front of others.

Though detectives noted in charging documents that they spoke to witnesses who observed inappropriate conduct in Schlegel’s classroom, a motion filed in July outlining the state’s evidence showed that four students were interviewed by a team from the Child Advocacy Center, an abuse response facility within the Maryland Department of Human Services.

They described sitting on Schlegel’s lap and not being allowed down; being touched with pencils and fingers on their shoulders and thighs, sometimes over their clothes and sometimes under; doing work near the teacher’s desk without the boys; and hearing their friends talk about what happened to them.

Defense attorney Peter O’Neill declined to comment Thursday.

Schlegel is married with two children. At each of his court appearances, including a virtual one, his family and a large group of supporters sit in the benches. Relatives, family friends, neighbors, a former coworker and a former student submitted letters to the court attesting to his character.

“Even though you’re charged with the worst kind of charges … these are people who are willing to stand up” for Schlegel, O’Neill said in a May 28 hearing.

At the same hearing, Assistant State’s Attorney Anastasia Prigge described Schlegel as “two people” — the family man dedicated to his work and friends, and the predator who used his status as a “beloved teacher” to entrap and victimize his students.

“They can be fervent in their beliefs,” Prigge said, referring to Schlegel’s supporters, “but that doesn’t mean he didn’t abuse children.”

Though Schlegel has been arrested, Child Abuse Unit detectives are asking anyone with information on this or other potential cases to call 410-222-4733. Anonymous tips may also be left on the Anne Arundel County Police Tip Line at 410-222-4700.

Maryland law states evidence occurring before or after the offense can be admitted so long as it is introduced at least 90 days before trial. As of Thursday, a trial date has not been set.

Michael Hislop, 27, will have to register for 15 years as a Tier I sex offender and complete three years of supervised probation. During that time, he will not be allowed to have unsupervised contact with a child, nor will he be able to work in a position involving children, said Anne Arundel Circuit Judge Stacy McCormack.

In Maryland, Tier I designation is the least severe among the state registry with Tier III being the most. According to the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, the age of the victim is not relevant to what tier a defendant is assigned.

Hislop, who began teaching at the Annapolis Catholic school in 2022, was arrested in March after police searched his home in Arnold. According to Assistant State’s Attorney Sean Fox, when questioned by authorities, Hislop described his use of child pornography as being like “an itch in the back of my brain.”

In January, detectives with the Anne Arundel County Police Department’s Special Enforcement and Narcotics Division received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about 22 pornographic files on two separate IP addresses.

According to charging documents, after reviewing the uploaded content and issuing subpoenas to two service providers, detectives discovered child pornography linked to a St. Mary’s IP address in downtown Annapolis, as well as Hislop’s home.

Police spokesperson Marc Limansky said in March that while “no images were found on school-owned devices or computers, investigators believe Hislop may have used the school’s network to conduct illegal activity related to images found on his personal devices.”

Hislop was placed on administrative leave immediately after the school learned of the police investigation, a spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Baltimore said. He was fired in February, a month before being charged with 16 misdemeanors.

At the time his leave began, Hislop was up to date with child protection training, according to church officials. According to the Anne Arundel County Police Department and the Archdiocese of Baltimore, there is no indication that anyone at the school was affected by or involved in Hislop’s crimes.

Hislop attended and graduated from St. Mary’s High School before receiving bachelor’s and graduate degrees from Loyola University.

Defense attorney Peter O’Neill told the court he believed mental health concerns were a factor in his client’s decision to download the material and that by engaging with it, Hislop was “almost begging to be caught.”

He said Hislop had already undergone a psychosexual evaluation which found the teacher was not a pedophile, even though the pornography suggests an attraction to children. He also said his client has been receptive to treatment and engaged in several hours of therapy.

Before issuing her sentence, McCormack said probation before judgment was possible, which could have cleared the case from Hislop’s record. And though she opted not to follow the state’s suggestion of 18 months incarceration — a request Fox made considering the age of the girls depicted and the age of students at the school — she said jail time was “appropriate.”

Because the sentence is less than 18 months, Hislop will serve his time at a local detention center, O’Neill said. After his arrest, Hislop was released on his own recognizance, meaning he does not have any credited time.

Hislop’s wife attended Wednesday’s hearing. O’Neill said his client has been in a years-long relationship with her and that she has continued to support her husband.

In all, 81 firearms were stolen, the Maryland Attorney General’s Office said Tuesday in a news release announcing nearly 800 charges that have been filed against four men younger than 21 in connection with the gun shop break-ins.

Only six of the 81 firearms have been recovered — five were found in Washington — while many were sold “well above fair market value” to juveniles or people barred from possessing them, state prosecutors said in their release.

“The reality is these stolen guns made their way into our communities, so it has always been a two-part mission: find those responsible and find the guns,” Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown said in a statement.

Three of the four people charged are from Prince George’s County and one is a Baltimore City resident. According to the 87-page indictment, filed May 23 in Anne Arundel Circuit Court, the defendants were part of a criminal organization, though in a news conference Tuesday, authorities said they were more a solo group than part of a larger syndicate.

Those charged include:

• Mahkiya McQuinn-Woodley, 20, of Baltimore, was charged with 200 counts.
• Cy’juan Hemsley, 19, of District Heights, was charged with 189 counts.
• An unnamed 17-year-old man from Temple Hills was charged with 199 counts.
• An unnamed 16-year-old man from Upper Marlboro was charged with 205 counts.

In total, 794 charges were filed against the group, including participation in a criminal organization, conspiracy and theft charges. All four are being charged as adults, according to the attorney general’s office. Maryland law prohibits authorities from identifying juvenile defendants, even when they are charged as adults.

According to court filings, the first robbery took place on Christmas Eve, when the group broke into a gun shop in Capitol Heights and stole 35 firearms.

Between that night and March 4, prosecutors allege the defendants attempted to rob stores nine more times, succeeding only twice. In one of those cases, they were able to steal 10 airsoft guns, the indictment states. Airsoft guns fire plastic pellets instead of actual bullets and typically are used recreationally.

Last Christmas, the group attempted to break into five gun stores throughout Anne Arundel County — in Glen Burnie, Hanover and Pasadena — but failed each time. The same night, they were unable to infiltrate another shop in Halethorpe in Baltimore County.

Some of the 81 firearms taken during the spree were used in other crimes, authorities said, including a neighborhood shooting in District Heights with no injuries. At one point, someone was accidentally shot through both of their feet with a stolen gun and at another, the weapons were stolen by a rival group.

Paul Halliday, chief of the Attorney General’s Organized Crime Unit, said social media was an essential part of this investigation. According to the indictment, messages and posts from the defendants depict firearm sales, reference the burglaries, and show stolen guns and the BMW sedan used in the crimes.

The four defendants were arrested weeks ago, Halliday said, and are being held without bail.

On Tuesday, Brown said announcing the indictments also served as a call for action and a public notice about the guns in the region.

“It’s when these guns fall into the hands of those who are banned from possessing them, that’s what creates the greatest danger in our community,” Brown said. “We must put a stop to this and get these guns off our streets.”

Brown announced the indictments at Anne Arundel County Police headquarters in Millersville alongside other law enforcement officials, including Halliday, Anne Arundel Police Chief Amal Awad, Prince George’s Police Bureau of Investigations Deputy Chief Zachary O’Lare and Baltimore County Police Chief Robert McCullough. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Baltimore Field Division also participated in the investigation.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the stolen firearms is asked to contact either the anonymous tip lines for Anne Arundel County Police at 410-222-4700, or Prince George’s County Police at 1-866-411-8477.

Andy Daniel Aguilar-Amaya was indicted on three felonies and three firearm offenses in June, more than two-and-a-half years after Gene Martin was found dead in a Glen Burnie neighborhood along Marley Creek.

Martin, according to his obituary, was born in Florida and grew up in Southold, New York, a town on the northeastern tip of Long Island. On Oct. 11, 2021, Anne Arundel County Police found Martin shot in the street near his car, where he was pronounced dead. Known by loved ones as “Pookie,” Martin was 26.

Detectives discovered shell casings near Martin’s car and both they and the vehicle were seized as evidence. According to charging documents, investigators were also able to lift fingerprints matching Aguilar-Amaya’s from the interior and exterior of the car, a 2016 Acura sedan.

While the killing took place in 2021, detectives appear to have made a break in the case recently, though the timeline of their investigation was not clear in court filings.

According to charging documents, detectives interviewed three unnamed “cooperating suspects” who implicated four people, including Aguilar-Amaya, in Martin’s murder. They told authorities they heard one person “bragging about the homicide,” police said.

A detective wrote in charging papers that Aguilar-Amaya set up a meeting with Martin to buy drugs, but “actually intended to rob” him. “One of the credible sources of information,” told police when Martin arrived, Aguilar-Amaya brandished a handgun, pointed it and shot Martin twice “because he didn’t want Mr. Martin to retaliate against him for the robbery,” the detective wrote.

Aguilar-Amaya, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, then searched Martin’s vehicle, took the drugs and some cash, police said, before fleeing the scene.

Though charging documents mention three other people in reference to Martin’s murder, Aguilar-Amaya is the only one currently charged, court records show.

Aguilar-Amaya was convicted of first-degree assault and a handgun charge in Howard County from an incident that took place two months after Martin’s death, court records show. In August 2022, he was sentenced to prison at the Maryland Correctional Institution in Hagerstown.

When detectives interviewed Aguilar-Amaya in relation to the 2021 shooting, telling him they found evidence connecting him to the scene, he denied killing Martin and said his fingerprints might have been there because he had bought drugs from him.

Aguilar-Amaya “said he would discuss the case further only if he was charged,” police wrote, and “expressed fear” that he would spend the rest of his life in jail if charged with the murder.

On Monday, Aguilar-Amaya appeared in Anne Arundel Circuit Court, where his trial was scheduled to begin March 31, 2025. His next hearing will take place Jan. 28 before Anne Arundel Circuit Judge Pamela Alban, according to the Maryland Judiciary.

His public defender did not immediately return a request for comment.

Between 2010 and 2023, Franklin was in sole control of several bank and PayPal accounts linked to his public service career, acting also as the treasurer of the Friends of Mel Franklin political committee, a violation of Maryland election law.

Twenty criminal charges, including two counts of felony theft scheme, were filed against Franklin in Anne Arundel Circuit Court in June, days after he resigned from the council. The charges were filed in Anne Arundel County because the Board of Elections is based in Annapolis.

Franklin, 48, was first elected to the all-Democratic council in 2010, representing the southern areas of Prince George’s County. Initially term-limited, Franklin’s political career was bolstered in 2016 after voters approved the creation of two at-large seats on the council, which Franklin won in 2018 and 2022.

Franklin’s attorneys declined to comment.

According to charging documents, going into his first campaign, Franklin created the Friends committee and opened a Capital One Bank account in 2009. At the time, a treasurer had signed on with Franklin, prosecutors said, but when that person resigned and was replaced, the candidate was the only person with access to the funds.

The first Friends account was closed by Capital One in October 2020 due to a negative balance, according to charging documents, and Franklin opened a second at Truist Bank two months later. Like the first, Franklin was the sole signer of the Truist account, prosecutors said.

In court filings, the Office of the State Prosecutor detailed thousands of dollars worth of improprieties with both Friends of Mel Franklin accounts, including personal transactions and payments toward the politicians’ credit card and loan debt.

Between 2021 and 2023, Franklin used over $13,700 from the account to send money to an unnamed “close personal friend,” book hotel rooms and pay for rent, as well as cosmetic procedures both for himself and a friend, according to charging documents. Other misuses since 2010 included car maintenance, subscription services and a deposit on an international trip this year.

When Franklin submitted mandatory finance campaign reports, he falsified information, prosecutors said, including how much he had paid himself and the balance of the account. In 2021, for instance, Franklin reported the Friends account as having over $103,000 when in reality, it had just more than $30,000, court records show.

According to state campaign records, Franklin received thousands of dollars from a variety of PACs representing Prince George’s County firefighters, transit workers in the Washington, D.C. region, real estate agents and healthcare workers along the East Coast.

In total, prosecutors accused Franklin of misusing and stealing $124,450.10 of campaign funds.

In June, state prosecutors filed 20 charges against Franklin in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court, including multiple embezzlement, perjury and theft scheme charges — the latter two of which he was convicted of Monday.

“Elected officials should be held accountable if they violate the public trust and exploit the Maryland electoral process for personal financial gain,” said State Prosecutor Charlton T. Howard III. “I’m proud of our office’s hard work in uncovering this extensive fraud.”

Franklin will be sentenced on Nov. 13 before Anne Arundel Circuit Judge Mark Crooks.