Kathy McGuiness

Last updated

Kathy McGuiness
Kathy McGuiness.webp
McGuiness in 2021
Auditor of Delaware
In office
January 1, 2019 October 19, 2022
Criminal information
Criminal statusReleased
Conviction(s) Conflict of interest
Official misconduct
Criminal penalty1 year probation, 500 hours of community service, $10,000 fine
Date apprehended
October 12, 2021

Kathleen Kramedas McGuiness (born February 14, 1967) [1] is an American politician who was the Delaware state auditor, from January 2019 until October 2022. In July 2022, she was found guilty on multiple corruption charges.

Contents

On September 13, 2022, McGuiness lost the Democratic primary election to challenger Lydia York in a 42-point landslide. [2] In October 2022, she was sentenced to one year of probation and was given a $10,000 fine for her corruption convictions. Following her sentencing, McGuiness resigned as auditor. [3]

Early life and career

McGuiness graduated from Cape Henlopen High School in 1985. She earned her bachelor's degree in biology at the Florida Institute of Technology and her bachelor's degree in pharmacy from Northeastern University in Boston.[ citation needed ] After returning to Delaware, she bought a pharmacy in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where she was elected a town commissioner in 2000. She sold her pharmacy in 2002 to become a real estate agent. [4] [ better source needed ]

In 2010, McGuiness and her family moved to Park City, Utah, and she resigned from the Rehoboth town board in 2012 because she was unable to attend the meetings. [5] She moved back to Delaware and was elected to another term as a town commissioner in 2014. [6] As a member of the Democratic Party, McGuiness ran for lieutenant governor of Delaware in 2016, but she lost the party's nomination in the primary election. [7] She was subsequently appointed to the Delaware State University Board of Trustees by then governor, Jack Markell [8] and reelected to the town board in 2017. [9]

Delaware state auditor

In 2018, McGuiness ran for state auditor. She won the Democratic Party nomination, defeating Kathleen Davies and former state representative Dennis E. Williams in the primary election. [10] She defeated Republican James Spadola in the general election to become the first woman elected to the position. [11] [12] She was sworn into office on January 1, 2019, replacing Republican Tom Wagner, who had decided not to seek reelection after serving in the office since 1989. [13] [14]

Corruption charges, convictions, and resignation

On October 11, 2021, McGuiness was indicted on two felony charges and several misdemeanor charges that she paid her daughter and her daughter's friend nearly $30,000 from the state for jobs they did not work, orchestrated no-bid contracts for former campaign consultants while avoiding reporting requirements, and engaged in email surveillance and other intimidation of employees who became aware of her misconduct, among other charges. [15] [16] [17] The next day, she turned herself in and pleaded not guilty to all the charges. [18] [19]

On July 1, 2022, McGuiness was found guilty of conflict of interest, structuring, and official misconduct and not guilty of felony theft and intimidation. [20] She faced up to 1 year in prison, but had a presumptive sentence of probation. [21]

On August 31, 2022, a judge overturned McGuiness's structuring conviction but upheld her convictions of conflict of interest and official misconduct. Her request for a new trial was denied. [22]

On October 19, 2022, McGuiness was sentenced to one year of probation and 500 hours of community service, and was given a $10,000 fine for conflict of interest and official misconduct. Later that day, she resigned from her position as auditor. [3] Governor John Carney chose Dennis Greenhouse as McGuiness's successor. Greenhouse had previously served as auditor from 1983 to 1989. [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henlopen Acres, Delaware</span> Town in Delaware, United States

Henlopen Acres is a municipality north of Rehoboth Beach in Sussex County, Delaware, United States, and is the third smallest incorporated town in Delaware. According to 2010 census figures, the population of the town is 122, a 12.2% decrease from the 2000 census. It is part of the Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rehoboth Beach, Delaware</span> City in Delaware, United States

Rehoboth Beach is a city on the Atlantic Ocean along the Delaware Beaches in eastern Sussex County, Delaware, United States. As of 2020, its population was 1,108. Along with the neighboring coastal town of Lewes, Rehoboth Beach is one of the principal cities of Delaware's rapidly growing Cape Region. Rehoboth Beach lies within the Salisbury metropolitan area.

In jurisprudence, prosecutorial misconduct or prosecutorial overreach is "an illegal act or failing to act, on the part of a prosecutor, especially an attempt to sway the jury to wrongly convict a defendant or to impose a harsher than appropriate punishment." It is similar to selective prosecution. Prosecutors are bound by a sets of rules which outline fair and dispassionate conduct.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheldon Silver</span> American politician (1944–2022)

Sheldon Silver was an American Democratic Party politician, attorney, and convicted felon from New York City who served as speaker of the New York State Assembly from 1994 to 2015. A native of Manhattan's Lower East Side, Silver served in the New York State Assembly from 1977 to 2015. In 1994, he was selected as the Speaker of the Assembly; he held that position for two decades. During this period, Silver was known as one of the most powerful politicians in the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape Henlopen High School</span> Public school in Lewes, Delaware, United States

Cape Henlopen High School (CHHS) is a public high school in unincorporated Sussex County, Delaware, United States, with a Lewes postal address. The school is part of the Cape Henlopen School District and is located between Savannah Road and King's Highway. Cape Henlopen's school colors are bright gold and Columbia blue. Its mascot is Thor the Viking. The school is known for its expansive career pathways. In athletics, the school is best known for its championship-winning lacrosse and field hockey teams

Earl Brian Bradley is a former pediatrician from Lewes, Delaware and convicted serial child rapist. He was indicted in 2010 on 471 charges of molesting, raping, and exploiting 103 child patients. Some of the victims were as young as three months old. He was charged in April 2010 with an additional 58 offenses in relation to the abuse of 24 additional victims. He has been described by a number of reputable news outlets and commentators as "the worst pedophile in American history." Dr. Eli Newberger, a professor at Harvard Medical School and a pediatrician who has studied child abuse cases for almost 40 years, said Bradley's was "the worst pediatrician abuse case I've ever heard of." Bradley had access to an estimated 7,000 pediatric patients. According to a personal injury law firm in Baltimore, one of many representing class action plaintiffs, 1,400 families in the class action alleged abuse. Bradley was ultimately found guilty on all consolidated charges brought and was sentenced to 14 consecutive terms of life in prison without the possibility of parole plus 165 years in prison on June 26, 2011. His conviction was affirmed by the Delaware Supreme Court on September 6, 2012. In the wake of his arrest, it emerged that he had faced accusations of child abuse as early as 1995 in both Delaware and Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Delaware elections</span> Election in the United States

Elections were held in Delaware on Tuesday, November 2, 2010. Primary elections were held on September 14, 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian G. Pettyjohn</span> American politician

Brian Pettyjohn is an American politician and a Republican member of the Delaware Senate, where he has represented the 19th district since 2012. He has been serving as the Senate Minority Whip since 2020. He was a member of the town council for Georgetown, Delaware from 2008 to 2010 and mayor from 2010 to 2012.

John C. Atkins is a former American politician and member of the Delaware House of Representatives from 2003 until 2014 representing District 41. Atkins was originally elected as a Republican in 2002, then switched to the Democratic Party in 2008 after resigning over a drunk driving incident. He eventually lost his seat to newcomer Richard G. Collins in the 2014 general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Delaware lieutenant gubernatorial election</span> Election for Lieutenant Governor of Delaware

The 2016 Delaware lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2016, coinciding with the Delaware gubernatorial election. The office had been vacant since former Democratic lieutenant governor Matthew Denn was inaugurated as attorney general on January 6, 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Delaware elections</span> Election in Delaware, United States

A general election was held in the U.S. state of Delaware on November 6, 2018. Half of Delaware's executive officers were up for election as well as a United States Senate seat and Delaware's at-large seat in the United States House of Representatives. Primary elections were held on September 6, 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kathy Jennings</span> American attorney and politician

Kathleen Jennings is an American lawyer and politician serving as the Attorney General of Delaware. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

Trinidad Navarro is an American politician who is the Delaware Insurance Commissioner and previously served as New Castle County Sheriff. He is a Democrat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killing of Amy Joyner-Francis</span> School violence incident in 2016

On April 21, 2016, Amy Inita Joyner-Francis, a female 16-year-old student at Howard High School of Technology in Wilmington, Delaware, was assaulted and killed by another student, Trinity Carr in a school bathroom while two other students allegedly assisted. The incident was widely publicized and started controversy about the appropriate charges of teenagers involved in situations of school violence and assault. Two of the students were convicted of conspiracy and one of the two was also convicted of negligent homicide. The latter conviction was later overturned in a ruling that has faced some criticism. A third student was acquitted of a conspiracy charge.

The Auditor of Accounts of Delaware is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the U.S. state of Delaware. The incumbent is Lydia E. York, a Democrat, who was elected to the position in the Nov. 8, 2022 general election and sworn in on January 3, 2023 at Delaware State University. Auditor York was preceded by Dennis Greenhouse, who was appointed to the position by Governor John Carney after former Auditor of Accounts Kathy McGuiness resigned on October 19, 2022.

Lydia E. York is an American attorney, accountant, and Democratic politician who is the Delaware Auditor of Accounts. York is the first African American woman to be elected to an executive office in Delaware. She was first elected in the 2022 general election after winning the 2022 Democratic primary, where she defeated incumbent auditor Kathy McGuiness in a 42-point landslide.

Esthelda "Stell" Ramona Parker Selby is an American politician and educator, and the State Representative for Sussex County, in the Delaware House of Representatives, representing the 20th district. Prior to her election, Parker Selby worked as a teacher and academic administrator in the Cape Henlopen School District before serving on the Cape Henlopen School Board. In November 2022, she was elected to the Delaware State House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Emma Grace Cole</span> 2019 child murder in Smyrna, Delaware

Emma Grace Cole was an American murder and torture victim from Bloomington, Indiana, whose burnt skeletal remains were discovered near a softball complex in Smyrna, Delaware, on September 13, 2019. She remained unidentified for over a year and was known as "Baby Elle", "Jane Smyrna Doe 2019", and "Smyrna Doe" until her identification in October 2020. The murder has gained significant attention and media coverage due to the brutality of Emma's death and her former status as an unidentified murder victim. She was murdered by her mother, Kristie Lynn Haas, who pleaded guilty to murder in 2023.

References

  1. "Primaries Set in State, Sussex" (PDF). Cape Gazette . September 5, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  2. "Delaware Primary Election Results". The New York Times. September 13, 2022. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  3. 1 2 "State Auditor Kathy McGuiness sentenced for public corruption convictions". The News Journal. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  4. "'Cape Proud' of Kathy McGuiness". Cape Henlopen Educational Foundation. Cape Gazette. October 30, 2015. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  5. Mavity, Ryan (January 10, 2012). "McGuiness steps down in Rehoboth". Cape Gazette.
  6. Pacella, Rachael (August 21, 2014). "After two-year hiatus, McGuiness returns to Rehoboth board". DelmarvaNow. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  7. Cherry, Amy (October 26, 2015). "Rehoboth Beach Commissioner Kathy McGuiness hopes to be Delaware's next lieutenant governor". WDEL-FM . Archived from the original on October 27, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  8. "Kathy McGuiness Sworn in as New DSU Board Member". Press Release. Delaware State University. January 19, 2017.
  9. Goebel, Taylor (November 21, 2018). "After election win, Kathy McGuiness to step down as Rehoboth commissioner". DelmarvaNow. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  10. Goss, Scott (December 4, 2018). "Shake-up in Auditor's Office may not be last twist in prolonged drama". The News Journal.
  11. Hayes, Kevin (November 7, 2018). "First Dem in 28 years, 1st woman ever, McGuiness defeats Spadola for state auditor". WDEL 1150 AM.
  12. "State of Delaware General Election Official Results". Office of the State Election Commissioner. Dover, Delaware: Delaware Department of Elections. November 6, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  13. "McGuiness sworn in as auditor of accounts". Cape Gazette. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  14. Goss, Scott. "State Auditor Tom Wagner not seeking re-election amid health concerns". The News Journal.
  15. "State Auditor McGuiness indicted". Cape Gazette. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  16. Wilson, Xerxes; Gamard, Sarah. "Delaware state Auditor Kathy McGuiness indicted on 2 felony charges". The News Journal.
  17. Chase, Randall (October 11, 2021). "Delaware State Auditor Kathleen McGuiness accused of nepotism, fraud, witness intimidation". 6abc Philadelphia. Associated Press.
  18. "Delaware State Auditor McGuiness Turns Self in, Pleads Not Guilty to All Charges". WBOC. October 12, 2021.
  19. Gamard, Sarah; Wilson, Xerxes. "Trial date set for Delaware auditor corruption trial; lawmakers punt on removal for now". The News Journal.
  20. "GUILTY: State Auditor Kathy McGuiness convicted on three of five charges". July 2022.
  21. "Delaware auditor dodges felony charges, guilty of misconduct". The Washington Post .
  22. Chase, Randall (August 31, 2022). "Judge Upholds 2 of Delaware Auditor Kathy McGuiness' 3 Convictions". NBC10 Philadelphia. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  23. Eichmann, Mark (October 20, 2022). "Delaware's new interim auditor is a throwback, Dennis Greenhouse first held the seat in 1982". WHYY. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
Political offices
Preceded by Auditor of Delaware
2019–2022
Succeeded by