Tax Money Stolen, Elected Official Pleads Guilty In Anne Arundel: Prosecutor

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — An elected official pleaded guilty Tuesday to one misdemeanor count of misconduct in office, court records show. Prosecutors accused Anne Arundel County Register of Wills Erica Griswold of stealing a $6,000 tax payment check and cashing it for personal use.

Griswold said at her plea hearing that she understands the charges could prompt her suspension or removal from office, Maryland Matters reported.

Sentencing is scheduled for July 18.

Maryland Matters said 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.

Griswold has already repaid the money she's accused of stealing, Defense Attorney Peter O'Neill told Circuit Court Judge Stacy W. McCormack, according to Maryland Matters.

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 is 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.

The full indictment is posted here.

Patch contacted Griswold's office and defense attorney for comments. Neither has replied. We will update this story if they respond.

To learn more about the plea hearing, read Maryland Matters' story.

Related: Tax Money Stolen By Elected Official In Anne Arundel County: Prosecutor