Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today announced that former state employee Shanell Angelia West, 46, of Essex, Maryland, was sentenced to 18 months in jail for felony theft and insurance fraud. The charges stemmed from her actions during and after her 18-month employment with the Maryland Department of Labor.
Judge Robert E. Cahill, Jr., of the Circuit Court for Baltimore County sentenced West to 15 years of incarceration, suspending all but 18 months of active incarceration, and five years of probation upon release.
In October 2024, West pleaded guilty to a theft scheme with a value between $1,500 and $25,000 and to insurance fraud. 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. On June 25, 2023, 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…