Former State Employee Pleads Guilty to Insurance Fraud and Felony Theft

A former state employee in Maryland has pleaded guilty in separate cases involving insurance fraud and felony theft.

According to Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown, the charges against Shanell Angelia West, of Essex, Maryland, stemmed from her actions during and after her employment with the Maryland Department of Labor.

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 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.

Brown said sentencing in both cases is scheduled for December 6 in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County.