BALTIMORE — A Baltimore County man has pleaded guilty to bribing a former Baltimore City finance official.
James Carroll Erny, Jr., 55, admitted to paying at least $25,000 in bribes to Joseph Gillespie, a former Baltimore City Department of Finance employee.
In exchange, Gillespie halted various financial obligations Erny owed to Baltimore.
Officials say Baltimore suffered financial losses of more than $145,000.
The plea agreement states this scheme began in December 2019 and continued until August 2023.
During this period, Erny — who owned at least eight properties in Baltimore — routinely paid bribes in exchange for Gillespie delaying, or removing financial obligations owed to the city.
This included unpaid citations, tax obligations and water obligations.
Officials say Erny paid these bribes in cash, providing Gillespie with envelopes containing as much as $1,000 while the former city employee worked at the Able Wolman Municipal Building.
Erny also admitted to participating in a separate scheme to obtain fraudulent COVID-19 relief loans. Ultimately, Erny fraudulently obtained $996,240 in fraudulent PPP funds as part of the scheme.
He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for bribery.
