State prosecutors have charged retired Worcester County District Court Judge Gerald V. Purnell with misconduct in office for knowingly allowing a longtime law clerk to falsify timesheets while still collecting a full salary.
Prosecutors also cited his former clerk, 46-year-old Bridget Lowrie, with misconduct in office. The complaint against both is civil, not criminal, and prosecutors are asking for both Purnell and Lowrie to be fined a penalty of $10,000. Each is scheduled for trial on Sept. 15. Purnell retired last summer after 18 years on the bench.
Complaints for both were filed July 30 in Anne Arundel County District Court, saying Purnell failed to notify the judiciary about the conditions of his law clerk’s employment. In the affidavit pertaining to Purnell, Lowrie was identified only by her initials, B.L., while Lowrie’s affidavit does not name Purnell, referring only to “a district court judge.”
Prosecutors say from 2020 until her June 2024 resignation, Lowrie submitted timesheets attesting she worked eight hours a day for five days a week, totaling 40 hours a week, with the occasional paid day off or holiday.
And while Lowrie did aide Purnell occasionally with administrative duties and performed research assignments, she was paid for a full-time job without actually working 40 hours a week – and Purnell let it happen, according to prosecutors. The complaint alleges Lowrie received paychecks totaling approximately $485,000 over a decade.
Good! Make her pay back the $$$ and LOCK THE JUDGE UP!!!