Former Councilman Dion Guthrie Can't Fill Seat After Pleading No Contest To Theft: Judge

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — Former Harford County Councilman Dion Guthrie, 86, cannot have his council seat back, a judge has ruled, after he pleaded no contest to charges alleging he stole more than $23,000 from a union he led for more than 50 years.

Harford County Circuit Judge Yolanda L. Curtin tossed out a lawsuit that Guthrie had filed against Council President Pat Vincenti in an effort to regain his council seat. Doug Gansler, Guthrie’s attorney, told The Baltimore Banner that they've filed a notice of appeal to the Appellate Court of Maryland and plan to ask the Maryland Supreme Court to review the case on an expedited track.

“He’s 86 years old. He’s never stolen anything from anybody. He’s been in public service his whole life. He was duly elected to the Harford County Council multiple times,” Gansler told The Banner. “And his reputation should not be blemished in any way shape or form by another county councilperson who happens to be of a different political party.”

Guthrie, a Democrat who represented District A as a County Councilman, pleaded no contest in November 2024 to stealing funds from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local. Guthrie’s attorney at the time, Domenic Iamele, said after a hearing that his client planned to serve the two remaining years of his term. But the state constitution requires the removal of elected officials who are convicted of felonies or who plead nolo contendere.

The Harford County Council recently appointed Nolanda Robert to fill Guthrie's seat.

In 2021, Lonnie Stephenson, the president of the IBEW at the time, placed the local under trusteeship after discovering “significant irregularities in the operations,” according to a statement. After an investigation, the IBEW informed the U.S. Department of Labor that it had uncovered “potentially unlawful conduct.”

The Office of Labor-Management Standards discovered that Guthrie misappropriated more than $60,500, which including making 179 purchases on a union credit card at businesses including Spirit Airlines, Burlington and Amazon Music. He admitted that some of those charges were for personal use, according to a WBAL-TV report.

Read more:

Harford County Councilman Dion Guthrie Ousted After Felony Theft Case

Harford County Councilman Accused Of Stealing From Union He Led

Former County Councilman Who Pleaded No Contest In Theft Sues To Regain Seat