Maryland State Prosecutor Charlton T. Howard, III, announced today that Erica Griswold, the Register of Wills for Anne Arundel County, has pleaded guilty to Misconduct in Office. The Honorable Stacy W. McCormack accepted Griswold’s guilty plea in the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court. Sentencing is scheduled for 1:30 pm on July 18, 2024.
Griswold has served as the elected Register of Wills for Anne Arundel County since December 2022, with an annual salary of approximately $146,117.91. According to the statement of facts admitted in support of the plea, Griswold acknowledged that on or about June 16, 2023, a cashier’s check for $6,645.00 was received by her office. The check was intended for payment of non-probate inheritance tax but was made payable to Griswold personally.
Griswold admitted to falsely informing the mail processor that she had been expecting this check for herself, leading the employee to allow her to keep the check. Despite knowing the check was not intended for her personal use and not knowing the payor, she did not perform the necessary computer system searches to verify the check’s intended recipient.
On June 22, 2023, Griswold cashed the $6,645.00 check at a Chase Bank in Annapolis and kept the cash. The payor later contacted the Register of Wills Office to inquire about the outstanding invoice, which he believed had been settled. Griswold repaid the money on February 23, 2024, nearly seven months after being informed of the payor’s inquiry and almost a month after being indicted by an Anne Arundel County Grand Jury.
“Government officials are expected to be good stewards of the public funds entrusted to them,” said State Prosecutor Howard. “Our agency strives to hold individuals in positions of public trust accountable if they violate that trust for personal gain.”
By nature of the crime., Griswold will be removed from office. Her vacancy will then be filled through the following process:
The judges of the Orphans’ Court for Anne Arundel County will appoint a new Register of Wills to serve the remainder of Griswold’s term. Specifically:
- Under Maryland law, the judges of the Orphans’ Court have the authority to appoint a replacement Register of Wills when that office is vacated.
- The appointed replacement must be a member of the same political party as the outgoing Register (Griswold is a Democrat).
- The appointed Register will serve the rest of Griswold’s 4-year term, which began in January 2023.
- A new Register of Wills election would then be held in November 2026 for the next 4-year term starting in 2027.
The full statement of facts can be found below;
