Office of the Maryland State Prosecutor

07/04/2026

Wishing everyone a safe and enjoyable Holiday!

06/26/2026

The Office of the Maryland State Prosecutor is proud to announce that Ms. Brittany Dunklow, Senior Assistant State Prosecutor will receive one of the 2026 Leading Women Under 40 Awards presented by The Daily Record.

The Daily Record’s Leading Women Under 40 Awards honor women who are 40 years of age and younger for the accomplishments they have made so far in their careers. Winners were selected for the honor based on their professional experience, community involvement and commitment to inspiring change. The honorees were chosen by previous Leading Women Under 40 honorees and a representative of The Daily Record.

Congratulations to Brittany and the 2026 Honorees!

06/23/2026

June 23, 2026: St. Mary’s County Correctional Officer Charged with Felony Theft and Misconduct in Office

Maryland State Prosecutor Charlton T. Howard III announced today that the Grand Jury sitting in St. Mary’s County has returned a Criminal Indictment against Dayvon West, a Correctional Officer (“CO”) at the St. Mary’s County Detention and Rehabilitation Center (“SMCDRC”), with theft over $1,500, and misconduct in office.

According to the charging document, CO West served as an employee of the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office from March 2020 through July 2022, and then again beginning in May 2023.
The charging document alleges that in February 2026, CO West was working as a CO at SMCRDC where he was responsible for, among other things, conducting the intake and booking process for newly incarcerated or detained individuals, including conducting an inventory of the individuals’ belongings.

According to the charging document, CO West was on duty at the SMCDRC on February 28, 2026, when Victim 1 was brought to the facility. CO West conducted an inventory of Victim 1’s belongings, including her purse, which contained an envelope with $3,640 in cash. During CO West’s search of Victim 1’s purse, CO West allegedly took the envelope containing Victim 1’s cash. The next day, CO West deposited approximately $2,000 in cash into an ATM, to be transferred to his bank account. Several days later, CO West made a rent payment from his bank account that he otherwise would not have been able to afford, but for the $2,000 cash deposit.

"Correctional officers are entrusted with significant authority and responsibility, including the duty to safeguard the property and rights of individuals in their custody. That trust is essential to the integrity of our criminal justice system,” stated Howard. “Our office will continue to work to ensure those who abuse their positions of trust are held accountable for their actions.”
The Office of the State Prosecutor would like to thank the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in this investigation.

All individuals who are charged with a criminal offense are presumed to be innocent.
A copy of the charging document can be found at: https://bit.ly/4xJAdAj

Contact: [email protected]

06/03/2026

The Office of the State Prosecutor has released its 2025 Annual Report. To review the report follow the link listed.

https://bit.ly/49GEutX

05/28/2026

One of our OSP SAUSAs, Ms. Kathleen Godwin, is featured in the video, "A Day in the Life: Violent and Organized Crime Section." from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.

From investigating criminal activity, to trying cases, to providing...

04/14/2026

Senior Worcester County Board of Education Official Charged with Felony Theft Scheme, Embezzlement, and Misconduct in Office

Maryland State Prosecutor Charlton T. Howard, III, announced today that a criminal information has been filed in the Circuit Court for Worcester County, Maryland, charging Denise R. Shorts with felony theft over $100,000, embezzlement, and misconduct in office.

According to the charges filed today, Shorts worked for Worcester County Public Schools (“WCPS”) from 1989 until early 2026. Shorts held different positions throughout her tenure with WCPS, most recently serving as the Chief Academic Officer, also known as the Assistant Superintendent, and as the WCPS Title I grant coordinator, which began in 2014.

Shorts oversaw the Title I grant, which is a grant intended to provide extra funding to school districts with low-income families. In this role, Shorts was permitted to make purchases on behalf of Title I schools, including on Amazon.com, using a Purchase Card, commonly referred to as a “P-Card”, a credit card issued to select WCPS employees to purchase materials for educational purposes and for the benefit of the school system.

According to the charging document, from 2019 through October 2025, Shorts used her P-Card to make $118,741.89 in personal purchases from Amazon and submitted invoices she physically altered in support of those purchases. Specifically, Shorts printed her actual Amazon receipt and a fake Amazon receipt. Shorts cut out the item description or shipping address from the fake receipt, and taped it over the actual Amazon receipt, copied the altered receipt, and submitted the altered receipt in support of her P-Card purchases. Shorts falsely indicated that $84,365.82 of the purchases made from Amazon were to benefit Title I schools, which resulted in that amount being deducted from the Title I grant intended to support students of low-income families.

According to the charging document, Shorts purchased thousands of dollars in pool equipment, clothing, make-up, hair and skin care, and other personal items using her P-Card. She also purchased materials and equipment for a learning center partially owned by her, and furnishings for her vacation home in Florida.
During a routine audit by the Office of Legislative Audits (“OLA”), discrepancies with Shorts’s P-Card were discovered. In response, Shorts allegedly submitted fake personal credit card statements to claim that the purchases identified by OLA were actually made using her own credit card.

“Officials entrusted with the administration of valuable community resources intended for the education of needy children have a responsibility to act with integrity. Our Office is committed to holding accountable any individuals who are found to have abused such positions of trust,” said State Prosecutor Howard.

All individuals who are charged with a criminal offense are presumed to be innocent.

A copy of the charging document can be found at https://bit.ly/4mwXPD0

Contact: [email protected]

03/31/2026

FORMER CO-OWNER OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS STUDIO SENTENCED FOR FELONY THEFT SCHEME AND IDENTITY FRAUD

MARCH 31, 2026 - Maryland State Prosecutor Charlton T. Howard III announced today that former Maryland Mixed Martial Arts Studio Co-Owner, Michael William Perry, was sentenced today for his role in a theft scheme and identify fraud against his former business partner. The Honorable Richard J. Sandy sentenced Mr. Perry to 15 years suspend all but 60 days and 5 years of supervised probation, after Mr. Perry paid the business and his former partner $71,791.83 in restitution.

Mr. Perry pleaded guilty on January 12, 2026 after the State presented witnesses in a trial. During the State’s presentation of evidence, testimony was elicited from several witnesses about how Mr. Perry promoted himself as a wealthy individual with investment experience. Witnesses also testified about the discovery of Mr. Perry’s personal spending including steak dinners, gun shop purchases, etc. The facts read into the record during the guilty plea revealed that Mr. Perry, a former owner of Groundswell MMA, LLC, a martial arts academy located in Frederick, Maryland, used Groundswell funds and his business partner’s identity for his own personal use. Mr. Perry was accused of spending approximately $66,000 on unauthorized expenses while he was an owner at Groundswell, MMA. In addition to his personal spending, Mr. Perry admitted that he used his business partner’s personal identifying information to obtain over $25,000 of financing from multiple financing companies without consulting with his business partner.

The State argued for Mr. Perry to receive a sentence above the sentencing guidelines because he abused a position of trust. The Court noted that while the restitution had been paid, it was “important that the Defendant see the inside of a jail cell” for exploiting a position of trust. Mr. Perry will be serving his sixty-day sentence on twenty consecutive weekends and has other conditions of probation.

“It is important to ensure accountability for financial fraud, especially when the person committing the crime is a trusted partner in the business,” said Howard. “Our Office is proud of its work across the State to address corruption and fraud when it impacts our communities.

Mr. Howard thanked and commended Assistant State Prosecutor Stephanie Haddad, Deputy State Prosecutor Sarah David, Senior State Prosecutor Joyce McDonald, Special Agent Matthew Kerrigan, and Senior Special Agent Daniel Bralove for their work on this case.

A copy of the Charging Document can be found at https://bit.ly/3PGLZK9

Contact: [email protected]