A former employee of the office of the Baltimore City Council President has pleaded guilty to one count of perjury, according to the Office of the Maryland State Prosecutor, Charlton T. Howard III.
Between 2014 and 2017, Elizabeth “Betsy” Gardner received over $15,000 from the Mt. Washington Merchant’s Association, an amount she did not disclose on her required city financial disclosure forms, according to a Statement of Facts read into the record.
During this period, in 2016, Gardner worked as a community liaison on behalf of then Baltimore City Council President Bernard “Jack” Young, the press release read. Also in 2016, Gardner ran for the District 5 City Council seat, which is currently held by Councilman Isaac “Yitzy” Schleifer. The JT previously covered Gardner’s run in 2016.
Gardner was subsequently sentenced by Judge Melissa M. Phinn to a probation before judgement, with three years’ unsupervised probation.
“Government officials are required to file truthful and accurate financial disclosure forms to ensure transparency and identify any potential conflicts of interest,” Howard said. “Our office will continue to hold accountable any public official who abuses the public trust.”
