Stolen Tax Money Punishment Decided For Anne Arundel Ex-Elected Official

ANNAPOLIS, MD — The ex-elected official who stole over $6,000 in taxes didn't get any jail time in Anne Arundel County, a judge ruled Thursday.

Erica Griswold, the former register of wills for Anne Arundel County, got an 18-month prison sentence with the entire term suspended. That means she won't spend any time in jail.

Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Judge Stacy W. McCormack instead ruled that Griswold would have two years of probation. The sentencing announcement did not mention any community service.

Prosecutors had previously suggested 50 hours of community service for Griswold, Maryland Matters reported. The maximum sentence for misconduct in office is “anything not cruel or unusual,” Maryland Matters said.

Griswold, 51, pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of misconduct in office on June 4. Her office on June 11 confirmed that she was removed and replaced with Jasmine M. Jackson.

“Ms. Griswold betrayed the public trust and abused the power of her office for her personal gain,” Maryland State Prosecutor Charlton T. Howard III said in a Thursday press relese. “Our agency will continue to seek to hold government officials who commit such transgressions accountable for their illegal actions.”

Howard 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.

Related:

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