Elected Official Removed After Tax Misconduct In Anne Arundel: Office

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — Anne Arundel County announced a new register of wills on Tuesday after the previous officeholder was removed amid a misconduct case, the office told Patch on Tuesday. The Baltimore Banner first reported the news.

The news came exactly one week after Erica Griswold pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of misconduct in office. Prosecutors had accused her of cashing a $6,000 tax check for personal use and said she didn't return the money for months.

Jasmine M. Jackson will replace Griswold as the register of wills, the office said. The Banner said Jackson was previously an auditor in the register's office for 16 years.

“This decision was made with the best interest in mind of my family, my staff, and most importantly, the citizens who elected me to this role,” Griswold said in a statement obtained by The Banner. “While I humbly take full accountability for my actions, I want to assure everyone that my intentions were never to deceive or misuse public funds.”

Jennifer Lambert, chief deputy of the Register of Wills office, told Patch that Jackson's appointment was announced Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. She said the three judges of the Anne Arundel County Orphans' Court unanimously appointed Jackson.

Griswold was removed; she did not resign, Lambert said. Lambert pointed to the Maryland Constitution, which says the registers of wills are "subject at all times to removal for willful neglect of duty, or misdemeanor in office."

Lambert said Griswold continued her duties as register after her indictment and until her guilty plea.

Griswold has not been in her office since the plea, Lambert said.

Maryland State Prosecutor Charlton T. Howard III announced on Jan. 26 that Griswold was charged with misconduct in office, misappropriation by a fiduciary and theft.

“Government officials are expected to be good stewards of the public funds entrusted to them,” Howard said in a press release announcing the indictment. “Our agency strives to hold individuals in positions of public trust accountable if they violate that trust for personal gain.”

The register of wills collects inheritance tax.

Griswold, a Democrat, was elected in 2022 after defeating Republican Lauren M. Parker by 1.1 percentage points.

Griswold's annual salary as the register of wills was about $146,000, the indictment said.

The Office of the Register of Wills in Anne Arundel County received a cashier's check for $6,645 on or about June 16, 2023, the indictment said.

The remitter, or sender, of the check was the beneficiary of an open estate with the office. The check was made payable to Griswold "for the purpose of satisfying an invoice received from the Office for payment of non-probate inheritance tax," the indictment said.

The indictment alleged that Griswold cashed the check for cash paid directly to her at an Annapolis bank on or around June 22, 2023.

The remitter of the check contacted Griswold's office on or about Aug. 4, 2023 to ask why he was still receiving invoices for the $6,645 due in inheritance tax that he thought he had already paid, the indictment said.

The indictment said Griswold was notified that day that the remitter had asked why he was still receiving these invoices.

Over the course of several months, many government employees told Griswold that it was important that she repay the money, the indictment said.

Prosecutors said Griswold repaid the money this Feb. 23, almost seven months after she learned that the payor continued to receive invoices and nearly a month after the indictment. The full indictment is posted here.

Griswold's sentencing is scheduled for July 18.

Maryland Matters reported that prosecutors are seeking a suspended 18-month prison sentence, three years of probation and 50 hours of community service to be completed within one year of the plea date. A suspended sentence would mean the 51-year-old Griswold wouldn't go to prison.

Patch contacted the Register of Wills office for a comment, and we have not yet heard back. Griswold's attorneys have not responded to our requests for comment on her guilty plea. We will update this story if they reply.

Related:

• Register Of Wills Pleads Guilty To Misconduct In Anne Arundel: Courts
• Tax Money Stolen By Elected Official In Anne Arundel County: Prosecutor