SNOW HILL, MD - The former Administrative Judge for Maryland’s District Two, which includes Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester Counties, has been accused of allowing a law clerk to earn a full-time salary for nearly a decade while the employee worked only part-time.
According to court documents obtained by WBOC, Gerald Vaughn Purnell was appointed by Governor Robert Erlich in 2006 to serve as an associate judge for Worcester County. In 2013, Purnell was named Administrative Judge for District Two.
In 2015, Purnell allegedly offered a woman, named only “B.L” in an affidavit, a full-time position as a law clerk. At the time, B.L. was employed full-time as a college professor, according to investigators. Purnell allegedly gave the woman a full-time salary but agreed that she would only work as needed, according to the affidavit.
After the Maryland Judiciary implemented a new time-keeping system in 2020, the State’s Prosecutors office says B.L. submitted 40-hour timecards per week through 2024 under Purnell’s supervision.
In total, prosecutors say B.L. received about $485,000 during the ten years she worked for Purnell. She was employed full-time at a local college at the same time, according to court documents..
In 2023, the Judiciary updated their telework policy that required employees to sign an agreement that under no circumstances could an employee telework more than one day a week. After discussing the new policy with Purnell, the State Prosecutor’s Office says B.L refused to sign the agreement.
Finally, on June 7, 2024, prosecutors say that senior members of the Judiciary became aware of B.L.’s employment but were concerned that no one in District Two had seen her or knew who she was after supposedly working there for about 10 years. The day after the Judiciary’s Human Resources Department contacted B.L., she resigned, according to investigators.
After suffering a stroke in June of 2024, Purnell spoke with the Chief Judge of the District Court about possibly resigning, which he did in October, 2024, the affidavit reads.
Following an extensive investigation by the Maryland Office of the State Prosecutor, Purnell now faces a civil citation for official misconduct and is accused of failing to notify the Judiciary of information related to his law clerk. He was ordered to pay $10,000 by September, according to court documents.