Harford County Council member charged with stealing from union he led for five decades

A Democratic member of the Harford County Council is accused of a theft in Baltimore County that he says is politically motivated.

Still, Councilman Dion Guthrie said he has made amends for the alleged crime and expects to receive a suspended sentence before a verdict is reached at an as-yet-unscheduled hearing.

Guthrie, 86, and one of two Democrats on the seven-member council, was charged late Tuesday with one count of theft between $1,500 and $25,000. The theft – an exact amount was not disclosed – occurred between 2017 and 2021, when Guthrie was president and CEO of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1501, said Baltimore County District Attorney Scott Shellenberger.

But Guthrie said in a telephone interview Tuesday evening that he was not guilty of the theft. The allegations are the result of politics, he said, comparing them to allegations of improper property tax credits against Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D), Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. (D), over land deals and a payout to a retired county employee and last year's grand jury investigation into Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly (R).

“I'm the latest Alsobrooks and Johnny O and Bob Cassilly, you know, all the different things that people can drum up in this political era,” Guthrie said. “I’m just a pawn in everything that’s happening around the country.”

The council member said he paid the money back Tuesday when the charges were filed — part of a deal that he said would result in a suspended sentence before sentencing. He declined to say how much he was willing to repay. He said he would discuss it publicly after a hearing that could take place as early as next week.

Guthrie said he did not steal from his union but claimed he was owed money.

“There was a dispute about some money they owed me,” he said. “They owe me about $39,000 — over $39,000 — in vacation pay and some other amounts, and they were reluctant to give it to me. And we argued about that for years, and so they came up with this.”

Guthrie said he would agree to a plea deal on the felony charge. That agreement was worked out this week by his attorney and Baltimore County prosecutors.

Guthrie said he decided to take a plea deal “because my lawyer recommends it.” They said you're going to be stuck. Because he says they will take you to court. You will stand trial. The legal fees will be higher than they would like.”

“And that's the world we live in, you know, it's unfortunate, but it's the world we live in. Either we pay it or we go to court and pay a lot more in legal fees,” he said.

When asked what type of plea he would enter, Guthrie said “PBJ.” After explaining that pre-sentence probation was a judgment and not a plea, Guthrie said he would have to ask his attorney about the details of the plea.

Despite state law requiring a public official to vacate his or her seat if convicted of a felony, Guthrie said his plea deal will have no impact on his position on the Harford County Council.

“You have no jurisdiction. And in this case, it's all in Baltimore County. It has nothing to do with Harford County,” Guthrie said. “It’s all Baltimore County. There are offices in Baltimore County. Her office is located in Baltimore County. It is the Baltimore County Department of Labor. I mean, that's what my lawyer told me. You know, what do I know?”

An attempt to reach Harford County Council President Patrick Vincenti (R) was unsuccessful Tuesday evening.

Guthrie held the positions with the union for 52 years until he announced his retirement in June 2021. That same year the union went into receivership and was taken over by the national union.

Guthrie said the takeover by national officials was the result of a decline in membership. The union represented employees of AmTote International, a betting company operated by a subsidiary of Stronach Group, the former owner and operator of the Preakness Stakes, as well as Pimlico and Bowie racetracks. The union also represented some employees at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

Guthrie said the union has lost members over the years. These losses were exacerbated by the pandemic, which led to the closure of railways and layoffs of employees.

“You know, when the pandemic hit, they closed every single racetrack in the United States,” Guthrie said. “When they did that, it was the icing on the cake for our union, our local area. I had 126 members – originally there were 800 – at the race tracks there were about 126, but at NASA there were about 300.

“We held on by our skin or our teeth. But now when the pandemic broke out, all race tracks in the country were closed and 120 out of 126 members were laid off, lost their jobs and the company refused to pay them their severance pay,” he said. “I had a big argument about that, went to arbitration and lost, not because … it was too much money to pay all those people.”