A former mayor of Capitol Heights pleaded guilty to misusing campaign funds when he was running for a seat on the Prince George’s County Council. Darrell Miller pleaded guilty Wednesday in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court to one count of unlawful disbursement and one count of improper disbursement by a chairman.
Miller, 48, admitted that he used more than $1,000 of campaign funds for personal expenses between July 1, 2010, and Nov. 15, 2010, according to the Maryland Office of the State Prosecutor.
He misused the funds during an unsuccessful bid for the District Seven seat on the County Council. Karen Toles defeated Miller for the seat in November 2010. Miller had served as the Capitol Heights mayor from 2006 to 2010.
Miller’s attorney could not be reached for comment.
Judge William Mulford sentenced Miller to two years supervised probation, $2,000 in fines and 300 hours of community service.
“By now every candidate, treasurer, chairperson and contributor should recognize that the election laws of this state cannot be ignored with impunity,” State Prosecutor Emmet Davitt said.
Miller was indicted on five counts in September. Three of the offenses — including felony theft, the most serious charge — were dropped as part of the plea deal.
Also indicted in September was Tiffany Alston, a Prince George’s delegate to the Maryland General Assembly. Alston was accused of stealing nearly $6,000 in campaign funds to pay for her wedding and the salary of a worker in her law office.
Alston was indicted again last month. That indictment accused her of stealing state funds to hire a law firm employee to work as a clerk in her statehouse office.
Several other officials in Prince George’s have recently faced charges of unethical behavior.
Former County Executive Jack Johnson was sentenced in December to more than seven years in prison for his role in a pay-to-play scheme in which he accepted bribes and influenced land deals. His wife, former County Councilwoman Leslie Johnson, received a year and a day behind bars for her role in the scheme, which included flushing a $100,000 check down the toilet and stuffing $79,600 in cash in her bra and panties.
A wide-ranging probe into corruption in Prince George’s by the U.S. Attorney’s Office has led to charges against police officers, store owners, developers and others.
