A former employee of the Baltimore City Department of Finance has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for his involvement in a bribery scheme and fraudulent COVID-19 relief claims. Joseph Gillespie, 35, of Baltimore, accepted more than $250,000 in bribes from property owners and fraudulently obtained over $143,000 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett also ordered Gillespie to serve three years of supervised release for his crimes, which spanned from 2016 to 2023.
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Gillespie used his position in the city’s Revenue Collections Department to remove or delay financial obligations, including property taxes and water bills, in exchange for bribes. Property owners facing liens or tax sales paid him between 10-15% of their outstanding balances to have them erased or postponed without proper authorization. The scheme resulted in more than $1.25 million in losses to Baltimore City. Gillespie was caught through undercover operations in which he openly discussed his ability to manipulate city records in exchange for payments.
In addition to the bribery scheme, Gillespie and co-defendant Ahmed Sary submitted false PPP loan applications in 2021 to obtain funds intended for struggling businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. They fabricated payroll records for Gillespie’s company, JAG Investments, falsely claiming it had 19 employees and an average monthly payroll exceeding $55,000. Based on these misrepresentations, the bank approved a $138,000 loan, which Gillespie used for personal gain. He also paid Sary $38,000 in kickbacks for facilitating the fraudulent application.
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The case was investigated by the FBI, the Baltimore City Inspector General, and the Small Business Administration’s Office of Inspector General. The District of Maryland COVID-19 Strike Force, which targets large-scale pandemic relief fraud, played a key role in prosecuting the case. Authorities continue to encourage the public to report fraud related to COVID-19 relief programs through the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud.
Article by multiple RFHC contributors.
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