Mel Franklin, former Prince George’s County Council member, pleaded guilty Monday to dipping into his campaign coffers to make at least $130,000 in payments on rent, loans, credit cards and cosmetic procedures for himself and a close friend and, then, falsifying campaign finance reports.
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September 1, 2024The charges stem from Mel Franklin using campaign funds to make personal payments, according to prosecutors. He faces a sentence of up to one year.
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As part of the agreement, Franklin must pay restitution of $133,168.67 to his campaign committee, Friends of Mel Franklin, which will be given to a charity of his choice.
“Elected officials should be held accountable if they violate the public trust and exploit the Maryland electoral process for personal financial gain,” Maryland State Prosecutor Charlton T. Howard III said in a statement after Monday’s plea hearing. “I’m proud of our office’s hard work in uncovering this extensive fraud.”
Both Franklin and his attorney declined to comment after the hearing.
Franklin served on the council for nearly 14 years. His abrupt departure from the council kicked off a special election to fill his seat this month, costing the county an estimated $1.3 million so far.
Jolene Ivey (D), the current council chair, won her party’s nomination with nearly 48 percent of the vote, while Republican Michael Riker won his race with 45 percent of the vote. They will face each other in the November general election. If Ivey wins Franklin’s seat in the deep-blue county, another special election will be held to fill her District 5 council seat.
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