March 31, 2026: Former Co-Owner of Mixed Martial Arts Studio Sentenced for Felony Theft Scheme and Identity Fraud,

Maryland State Prosecutor Charlton T. Howard III announced today that former Maryland Mixed Martial Arts Studio Co-Owner, Michael William Perry, was sentenced today for his role in a theft scheme and identify fraud against his former business partner. The Honorable Richard J. Sandy sentenced Mr. Perry to 15 years suspend all but 60 days and 5 years of supervised probation, after Mr. Perry paid the business and his former partner $71,791.83 in restitution.

Mr. Perry pleaded guilty on January 12, 2026 after the State presented witnesses in a trial. During the State’s presentation of evidence, testimony was elicited from several witnesses about how Mr. Perry promoted himself as a wealthy individual with investment experience. Witnesses also testified about the discovery of Mr. Perry’s personal spending including steak dinners, gun shop purchases, etc. The facts read into the record during the guilty plea revealed that Mr. Perry, a former owner of Groundswell MMA, LLC, a martial arts academy located in Frederick, Maryland, used Groundswell funds and his business partner’s identity for his own personal use. Mr. Perry was accused of spending approximately $66,000 on unauthorized expenses while he was an owner at Groundswell, MMA. In addition to his personal spending, Mr. Perry admitted that he used his business partner’s personal identifying information to obtain over $25,000 of financing from multiple financing companies without consulting with his business partner.

The State argued for Mr. Perry to receive a sentence above the sentencing guidelines because he abused a position of trust. The Court noted that while the restitution had been paid, it was “important that the Defendant see the inside of a jail cell” for exploiting a position of trust. Mr. Perry will be serving his sixty-day sentence on twenty consecutive weekends and has other conditions of probation.

“It is important to ensure accountability for financial fraud, especially when the person committing the crime is a trusted partner in the business,” said Howard. “Our Office is proud of its work across the State to address corruption and fraud when it impacts our communities. 

Mr. Howard thanked and commended Assistant State Prosecutor Stephanie Haddad, Deputy State Prosecutor Sarah David, Senior State Prosecutor Joyce McDonald, Special Agent Matthew Kerrigan, and Senior Special Agent Daniel Bralove for their work on this case.

A copy of the Charging Document can be found HERE.

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