Baltimore County Man Sentenced for Bribing Former Baltimore City Finance Official

Summary

A District of Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office release dated July 23, 2026: James Carroll Erny, Jr., 55, of Glen Arm, Maryland, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett to 13 months in prison and eight months of home confinement for bribery. Erny admitted paying at least $25,000 in bribes to Joseph Gillespie, a former Baltimore City Department of Finance employee, who in exchange delayed, removed or extinguished citations, tax and water obligations Erny owed on at least eight city properties from December 2019 to August 2023; the city lost more than $145,000. Payments came mostly in cash envelopes of as much as $1,000, some handed over in a men's bathroom in the Abel Wolman Municipal Building, and via Cash App and Zelle. Erny also admitted fraudulently obtaining $996,240 in PPP funds and trying for more than $100,000 in EIDL funds.

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Baltimore, Maryland – A federal judge sentenced a Baltimore County man for bribing a Baltimore City official. U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced James Carroll Erny, Jr., 55, of Glen Arm, Maryland, to 13 months in prison, followed by eight months of home confinement, for bribery. Erny admitted to 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. As a result of the criminal conduct, the City of Baltimore suffered financial losses of more than $145,000. Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, FBI Baltimore Field Office; Acting Special Agent in Charge Lee Bacon, Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG), Eastern Region; and Chief Robert McCullough, Baltimore County Police Department (BCPD). According to court documents, beginning in December 2019, and continuing until August 2023, Erny engaged in a bribery scheme in which Gillespie abused his position of trust as a public official for his own personal gain. During this period, 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. This included unpaid citations, tax obligations, and water obligations, thereby causing losses to the City. Erny primarily paid these bribes by cash, providing Gillespie with envelopes containing as much as $1,000 each, while the former City employee worked at the Abel Wolman Municipal Building. Sometimes, Erny met Gillespie in a men's bathroom in the City-owned building to give him envelopes containing cash bribes. Erny also routinely provided Gillespie bribe payments via Cash App and Zelle. Additionally, Erny admitted to engaging in a separate scheme to obtain fraudulent COVID-19 relief loans under both the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. Ultimately, Erny fraudulently obtained $996,240 in fraudulent PPP funds as part of the scheme, and he attempted to obtain more than a $100,000 worth of EIDL funds. U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI, SBA-OIG, and BCPD for their work in the investigation. U.S. Attorney Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean R. Delaney and Joseph Wenner who prosecuted the case. For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud . # # #

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