Former Prince George's County Councilmember Mel Franklin pleads guilty to charges

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 his plea, Franklin admitted to stealing $124,450.10 from the Friends of Mel Franklin campaign from 2020 through October 2023, and using those funds to pay for, among other things, personal loans and credit card debt, his personal rent, and personal subscriptions. He also admitted to using those funds for international trips and spending $11,500 on cosmetic procedures for himself and a close friend. 

Franklin further admitted that beginning in 2021 through December 2023, he used an additional $8,718.57 from the campaign account to pay third parties directly for his personal expenses. Franklin used the funds to pay for personal hotel-stays and cosmetic procedures for he and a close friend, and for a deposit for an international trip in 2024. Franklin also admitted to using the funds to pay off his personal credit card and for the upkeep of his personal car.

In addition, Franklin admitted to concealing his use of campaign funds and falsifying information on campaign reports that he signed under the penalties of perjury and submitted to the State Board of Elections. 

“Elected officials should be held accountable if they violate the public trust and exploit the Maryland electoral process for personal financial gain,” said State Prosecutor Howard. “I’m proud of our office’s hard work in uncovering this extensive fraud.”