Former Maryland Councilman Pleads Guilty to Campaign Finance Charges

Then-Prince George's County Council Member Mel Franklin during a tour of a COVID-19 vaccination site at First Baptist Church of Highland Park in Landover, Md., on March 18, 2021. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Jamel “Mel” Franklin, a former member of the Prince George’s County Council in Maryland, pled guilty on Aug. 26 to campaign finance and perjury charges, according to an announcement by prosecutors.

Franklin, who previously served as chair of the council and resigned shortly after his indictment in June, was accused of embezzling $133,168.67 from his campaign and putting it in his personal bank account to pay for “personal loans and credit card debt, his personal rent, personal subscriptions, and cosmetic procedures for him and a close friend,” after which he allegedly falsified information on the expenses with the State Board of Elections.

He appeared in state court on Aug. 26 to plead guilty to a felony charge of theft and a misdemeanor charge of perjury in exchange for other charges against him being dropped.

“Franklin had no authority to utilize the money in the Friends of Mel Franklin bank accounts for his personal use or benefit,” the initial criminal information document, or indictment, reads. “As Chairperson [of the campaign], Franklin had a duty to ensure that campaign finance reports that were filed with the State Board of Elections, under the penalties of perjury, accurately reported all contributions and expenditures made to or from the Friends of Mel Franklin bank accounts.”

The indictment alleges that Franklin unlawfully acted as the treasurer of his own campaign. It also states that one of Franklin’s bank accounts, with Capital One Bank, was closed in 2020 because of a negative balance.

Franklin originally faced 20 counts, including embezzlement, felony theft scheme, and perjury. His plea dismisses the embezzlement charges, which carried sentences of up to five years in prison.

Franklin was one of two at-large members of the council who represented the entire county. Prince George’s County, which borders Washington and is home to many of its suburbs, has received additional attention this year because a Democratic county executive, Angela Alsobrooks, is running for the U.S. Senate in a competitive race against former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican.

Franklin resigned on June 14 without issuing a public statement. His resignation has prompted a special election to fill his vacant seat.

Running for his at-large seat is the council’s current chair, Jolene Ivey, already a member of the council from District 5. The election will be held concurrently with the U.S. presidential and Senate elections on Nov. 5.

Franklin’s sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 13.