Leopold's Age, Health Issues Are Factors in Sentencing

State prosecutors are not recommending any jail time for John Leopold, the former county executive of Anne Arundel County convicted of two counts of misconduct in office in January.

The state prosecutor wrote in a sentencing memo released Tuesday that Leopold's "deliberate, egregious, abusive and wrongful conduct" merits incarceration. However, the prosecutor didn't recommend incarceration because of Leopold's age and health issues.

The recommendation instead is for:

• A suspended one-year sentence
• A $100,000 fine
• Five years of probation
• 500 hours of community service

Patch previously reported that prosecutors of the case claimed that Leopold misused his security detail—which is paid for by the county—by ordering the officers to collect campaign donations, distribute campaign signs, empty Leopold's catheter bag of urine, drive him to sexual encounters in a bowling alley parking lot, pick up his dry cleaning and drop off the morning paper at his home.

The defense did not dispute some of the facts of the case but argued that the accusations at worst amounted to Leopold being a bad boss who may have spent county money unwisely by leaning on his security detail while recovering from two rounds of back surgery in 2010.

The prosecutor's memo states that the state is not aware "that the defendant has ever expressed remorse, contriteness, or responsibility for his outrageous and illegal actions."

Yet, Leopold's attorneys wrote that his actions were "misguided" and his decision to resign from office in late January demonstrated remorse.

The sentencing hearing for Leopold is set for Thursday at 10 a.m. at the Anne Arundel Circuit Court in Annapolis.

See more:

• Leopold Motion for Second Trial Dismissed
• POLL: Did Leopold Do the Right Thing by Resigning?
• Leopold's Sentencing Set for March 14
• Attorney Urges County Council to Postpone Removal of Executive
• Executive's Job on the Line in Emergency Vote by Council

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