Mel Franklin pleads guilty to stealing campaign funds [Video]

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, Md. — Mel Franklin’s campaign slogan didn’t mention luxury trips or cosmetic procedures, but on Monday he confessed to using donor dollars for just that, pleading guilty to felony theft of over $100,000 and perjury.

A judge in Anne Arundel County accepted the former Prince George’s County Councilmember guilty plea. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 13 at 1:30 p.m.

According to the statement of facts, Jamel R. (Mel) Franklin served as the councilmember representing District 9 from 2010 to 2018 and was the at-large councilmember representing all of Prince George’s County from 2018 through June 2024. He established his campaign committee “Friends of Mel Franklin” in 2009 to raise funds for his election to the Prince George’s County Council and has served as the Chairperson for the committee since the committee’s inception. 

As part of …