BALTIMORE, MD—A former state employee from Essex has pleaded guilty to insurance fraud and theft charges.

Attorney General Anthony G. Brown on Thursday announced that Shanell Angelia West, 46, has pleaded guilty in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County in separate cases involving insurance fraud and felony theft. The charges stemmed from her actions during and after her employment with the Maryland Department of Labor.

West was indicted back in June.

In the first case, West pleaded guilty to theft scheme with a value between $1,500 and $25,000. West, who was a clerk at the Department of Labor, admitted to stealing funds from licensees by altering checks payable to the state and depositing them into personal bank accounts. After being terminated from state employment, West continued to deposit forged versions of checks she had obtained while she was a state employee.

In the second case, West pleaded guilty to insurance fraud. West filed an insurance claim for wages she supposedly lost after missing work at the Department of Labor due to a car accident. However, West had been terminated from state employment in 2022—long before the period for which she claimed lost wages.

Sentencing in both cases is scheduled for December 6, 2024, in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County.

Photo by Sora Shimazaki from Pexels