A former state delegate accused of improperly using state taxpayer money to pay for a residence he passed off as an office emerged from court Wednesday with no conviction on his record.

Richard K. Impallaria was charged by the Office of the State Prosecutor with theft, misconduct and misappropriation last summer, while he was still in office. He was accused of misleading state officials into paying rent on a cottage near a marina that he claimed was his district office.

Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Judge Stacy McCormack converted Impallaria’s case to a probation before judgement status during a brief hearing on Wednesday, allowing the Republican politician to have no conviction on his record.

“Resolved with no conviction. That’s the goal of any person charged with a crime: To walk out the front door without a conviction,” Impallaria’s attorney, Steven D. Silverman, said afterward. “Time to move on.”

The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.

Impallaria, a Republican who represented parts of Harford and Baltimore counties in the House of Delegates for 20 years, declined to comment during the four-minute hearing and afterward.

Impallaria was accused of using state money to pay unusually high rent for a district office in Essex that wasn’t in his district.

Prosecutors alleged the rent money actually covered the cost of a personal cottage next door, as well as the purported district office. Prosecutors alleged the district office stored personal items, including bedroom furniture, folding beds, clothes, building materials, campaign materials, skis, coolers, and pellet rifles and ammunition.

Impallaria’s lawyer previously said the politician denied any wrongdoing.

But Impallaria ended up entering a guilty plea in January, after working out a plea agreement with the Office of the State Prosecutor.

The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.

Under the agreement, Impallaria pleaded guilty to one count of misconduct in office and promised to perform 100 hours of community service, pay $44,100 in restitution to the state and plead guilty in a separate case to illegally possessing a shotgun that was found when his office was searched.

McCormack said in January that if Impallaria completed all of those actions, she would convert his guilty plea to a finding of probation before judgement. She followed through on Wednesday after Silverman showed her a restitution check made out to the Maryland General Assembly and paperwork related to his gun case and community service.

The case was prosecuted by the Office of the State Prosecutor, represented in court Wednesday by Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Abigail Ticse and Deputy State Prosecutor Sarah R. David. Ticse, David and State Prosecutor Charlton Howard III declined to comment after the hearing.

Impallaria lost a bid for reelection to the House of Delegates last year, finishing second in a Republican primary for a newly drawn District 7B in Harford County. His primary loss came weeks before the criminal charges.

pamela.wood@thebaltimorebanner.com

Pamela Wood

pamela.wood@thebaltimorebanner.com

Pamela Wood

Pamela Wood covers Maryland politics and government. She previously reported for The Baltimore Sun, The Capital and other Maryland newspapers. A graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, she lives in northern Anne Arundel County.

More from Pamela Wood

Race for Maryland House seat turns negative with new ad

In US Senate race, Alsobrooks picks up support from retired Sen. Mikulski

More From The Banner

Ft. Carroll as seen during a CBF Tour of the EPA Superfund Site on 3/25/24 in Baltimore, MD.

Baltimore’s oddest island: Key Bridge shines new light on abandoned fort

Helena Hicks, civil rights crusader who countered segregation with sit-ins, dies at 88

Dazhon Leslie Darien

Suspect in Pikesville AI case set off red flags before racist recording spread

Errors in Nick Mosby’s latest fundraising report raise even more questions