A former firefighter for Prince George’s County pleaded guilty to bribing state and local officials, according to court documents unsealed Monday.
Karl Granzow’s plea is the latest to be released in the investigation of the pay-to-play schemes that engulfed former County Executive Jack Johnson and his wife, Councilwoman Leslie Johnson.
Granzow, who was an official responsible for the fire department’s Management Services Command at the time of the briberies, had ownership interests in Greenbelt Metropark, a company trying to build a mixed-use project near the Greenbelt Metro Station.
For more than 10 years, Granzow and co-conspirators offered state and local officials money, meals, drinks, trip expenses, campaign contributions, hotel rooms, airline tickets and more in exchange for rulings that would favor their development projects, according to Granzow’s guilty plea filed under seal on March 30.
Granzow also admitted to income tax evasion, failing to report $225,974 of taxable income, resulting in a failure to pay $74, 191 in taxes, officials said.
Granzow faces up to 10 years in prison for the two charges combined. Officials have not yet scheduled a sentencing date.
