Baltimore County man pleads guilty to bribing former Baltimore City official
A Baltimore County man has pleaded guilty to bribing a former Baltimore City finance official and fraudulently obtaining nearly $990,000 in COVID-19 relief funds, according to the Maryland District Attorney's Office.
James Carroll Erny, Jr., 55, admitted to paying at least $25,000 in bribes to former Baltimore City Department of Finance employee Joseph Gillespie, court officials said.
In exchange for the bribes, Gillespie removed several of Erny's financial obligations to the city. The city lost more than $145,000 due to the scheme, according to court officials.
Baltimore Bribery scheme
According to court documents, Erny engaged in the bribery scheme with Gillespie from December 2019 to August 2023. During that time, court officials said Gillespie abused his position for personal gain.
Erny, who owned at least eight properties in Baltimore, bribed Gillespie to remove or delay unpaid citations, tax obligations, and water obligations, court records show.
When he paid the bribes in cash, Erny provided Gillespie with envelopes while he was working at the city-owned Able Wolman Municipal Building, according to court records. On several occasions, Erny met with Gillespie in the men's bathroom of the building to give him envelopes of cash. He also used Cash App or Zelle to make payments, court documents show.
In February 2025, Gillespie was sentenced to four years in federal prison for his role in the bribery scheme. Court records show he had multiple co-conspirators in the scheme.
COVID-19 loan fraud
Erny also pleaded guilty to a separate scheme in which he fraudulently obtained COVID-19 relief funds under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, according to court records.
Erny allegedly obtained a total of $996,240 in fraudulent PPP funds and tried to obtain more than $100,000 in EIDL funds, court records show.
He could face a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, court officials said. Erny is scheduled for a sentencing hearing on June 9.
