Ex-campaign treasurer for Luke Clippinger faces embezzlement, theft charges

A former campaign treasurer for a top Democratic lawmaker faces embezzlement charges, prosecutors announced Thursday.

Melissa Ann Smith, who served for more than a decade as the treasurer of Friend of Luke Clippinger, is accused of stealing more than $87,000 from the campaign, according to charges filed by the Office of the State Prosecutor Thursday.

The charges come 11 months after Maryland Matters raised questions about more than a dozen checks allegedly cashed by Smith, then known as Melissa Evans, over a four-year period. Del. Lukc Clippinger (D-Baltimore City) serves as House speaker pro tem and was elected Tuesday to a fifth term in the House.

“Treasurers of campaign finance committees have an important role in ensuring funds raised to support a political candidate are used to benefit the purpose of the campaign,” said State Prosecutor Charlton T. Howard III. “Our Office strives to hold individuals in positions of public trust in the electoral process accountable if they violate that trust for personal financial gain.” `

The Office of the State Prosecutor filed the charges Thursday in Baltimore County Circuit Court. An initial hearing has not been scheduled.

Online court records do not list an attorney for Smith. She did not respond to a request for comment.

Clippinger, in a text, declined comment because it is an open criminal case.

In all, Smith is accused of stealing more than $87,000 from Clippinger’s campaign account. Prosecutors allege Smith deposited 47 checks into three personal bank accounts between 2018 and 2025.

As a result, she faces charges related to a theft scheme as well as embezzlement. A conviction on theft charges carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison and up to a $15,000 fine. Conviction on the embezzlement charge carries a sentence of not less than one year by not more than five years in prison.

She faces two additional accounts of perjury for filing campaign finance reports in 2025 and 2026. Prosecutors allege Smith attempted to cover up the diversion of funds by filing inaccurate reports that did not include checks she allegedly wrote to herself.

Conviction on perjury charges each carry a 10-year sentence.

In January, Maryland Matters raised questions about more than a dozen checks totaling $44,000 drawn on Clippinger’s campaign account between 2020 and 2024.

Checks obtained by Maryland Matters were made out to Melissa Evans. All of the checks appeared to have been endorsed by Smith and deposited into her personal bank accounts. The checks range in amounts from $500 to two for $10,000. One of the checks was a bank check drawn on the Clippinger campaign account payable to Melissa Evans.

Clippinger, in a statement issued in January, told Maryland Matters he discovered four additional checks “written in the past month by my treasurer that were not authorized and not legitimate campaign expenditures.”

He said at the time that he immediately forwarded the matter to the Office of the State Prosecutor and would cooperate with their investigation. He also hired an outside accountant to begin a review of his account.

At the same time, Clippinger announced he had fired Smith from the position she had held since 2013.