July 18, 2024: Former Anne Arundel County Register of Wills Sentenced for Misconduct in Office
Maryland State Prosecutor Charlton T. Howard III announced today that Erica Griswold, former Anne Arundel County Register of Wills, was sentenced to eighteen months incarceration, suspended, and two years of probation, for Misconduct in Office by the Honorable Stacy W. McCormack in the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County.
According to the statement of facts read at the plea hearing, Griswold admitted that on or about June 16, 2023, a cashier’s check for $6,645.00 was received by the Office of the Register of Wills in Anne Arundel County. The check was made payable to Ms. Griswold for the purpose of satisfying an invoice received from the Office for payment of non-probate inheritance tax. Griswold falsely advised the mail processor that she had been expecting this check (implying that the check was intended for Griswold in her personal capacity), and based on Griswold’s false representation, the employee allowed Griswold to keep possession of the check. Griswold did not know the payor of the check, and she knew the check was not intended for her personal use.
Griswold further admitted that computer system searches to identify the name of a person who has an interest in an estate and identify the estate with which they are associated and/or the invoice in which a check was intended to satisfy were not conducted in this case because of Griswold’s false representation that she had been expecting this check for herself personally.
On or about June 22, 2023, Griswold cashed the $6,645.00 check at the Chase Bank located on Forest Drive in Annapolis, Maryland, and kept the cash for her personal use. Subsequently, the payor of the check contacted the Register of Wills Office to determine why he was still receiving invoices from the Office for $6,645.00 due for inheritance tax that he believed he had already paid.
Griswold ultimately repaid the money to the Office of the Register of Wills on February 23, 2024, almost seven months after she was made aware that the payor had contacted the Office because he continued to receive invoices, and nearly a month after an Anne Arundel County Grand Jury returned an Indictment against her.
“Ms. Griswold betrayed the public trust and abused the power of her office for her personal gain,” said State Prosecutor Howard. “Our agency will continue to seek to hold government officials who commit such transgressions accountable for their illegal actions.”
Mr. Howard thanked Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Mary W. Setzer and Sarah R. David for their work on this case. He also commended the investigative efforts of Special Agent Matthew Kerrigan of the Office of the State Prosecutor and thanked the Anne Arundel County Police Department and the Maryland State Police for their assistance with the investigation.
A copy of the statement of facts supporting Griswold’s guilty plea can be found here.
Contact
media.osp@maryland.gov