Former County Council Candidate Pleads Guilty to Misappropriation

A three-time former Baltimore County Council candidate pleaded guilty in Baltimore County Circuit Wednesday.

Penny McCrimmon, a Democrat who ran in the 4th Council District, pleaded guilty to misappropriation by a fiduciary in connection with the theft of money from an incapacitated relative, according to Adam Lippe, an assistant Baltimore County state's attorney.

McCrimmon, 63, was charged in May with theft of property valued between $10,000 and $100,000, taking property from a vulnerable adult and embezzlement, according to online court records.

McCrimmon had power of attorney over the finances of Reginald Gantt, a Randallstown resident, between April 2010 and February 2011, according to a hand-written statement filed with the court by Gantt, .

Gantt and McCrimmon are cousins, according to the statement.

McCrimmon was supposed to help Gantt file for medical assistance and manage his finances while he was incapacitated and in a Randallstown nursing home, according to court documents.

Gantt wrote in his statement that McCrimmon only gave him $26 spending money during his stay in the nursing home.

By the time Gantt regained control of his finances and revoked the power of attorney, McCrimmon had taken $30,000 from his checking and savings accounts, according to his statement. Bank records showed withdraws and transfers "for food, auto and shipping/mailing as well as numerous ATM withdrawals of unknown transaction," Gantt wrote.

McCrimmon was sentenced to five years in jail, all suspended, five years of unsupervised probation and owes $19,000 to the nursing home where Gantt stayed.

McCrimmon, who lives in the 100 block of Oliver Heights Road, served on the county Democratic State Central Committee from 2002 to 2010.

She unsuccessfully ran for County Council in the 4th District in 2002, 2006 and 2010, losing to incumbent Ken Oliver.