BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. (WBFF) — A Baltimore County man who admitted paying thousands of dollars in bribes to a former Baltimore City finance employee has been sentenced to more than a year in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.
U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced James Carroll Erny Jr., 55, of Glen Arm to 13 months in prison, followed by eight months of home confinement, for bribery.
Federal prosecutors said Erny admitted paying at least $25,000 in bribes to Joseph Gillespie, a former Baltimore City Department of Finance employee. In exchange, Gillespie extinguished various financial obligations Erny owed to the City of Baltimore. Prosecutors said the city suffered financial losses of more than $145,000 as a result of the conduct.
Court documents say the bribery scheme began in December 2019 and continued until August 2023. During that time, Erny, who owned at least eight properties in Baltimore City, routinely paid bribes in exchange for Gillespie delaying, removing or extinguishing financial obligations owed to the city, including unpaid citations, tax obligations and water obligations.
Prosecutors said Erny primarily paid bribes in cash, giving Gillespie envelopes containing as much as $1,000 each while Gillespie worked at the Abel Wolman Municipal Building.
At times, Erny met Gillespie in a men’s bathroom in the city-owned building to hand over envelopes containing cash bribes. Prosecutors also said Erny routinely provided bribe payments through Cash App and Zelle.
In addition to the bribery case, prosecutors said Erny admitted to a separate scheme to obtain fraudulent COVID-19 relief loans through the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. Prosecutors said Erny ultimately obtained $996,240 in fraudulent PPP funds and attempted to obtain more than $100,000 in EIDL funds.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence.
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