6 Dec 2011 9:35 pm
Republican Convicted Of Election FraudA Baltimore jury Tuesday found Paul Schurick, former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s campaign manager, guilty of fraud and related charges for his role in an Election Day 2010 robocall a decision hailed by government watchdog groups who say that for too long dirty tricks have tainted Maryland politics.The robocall, sent to thousands of voters as Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley swept to a re-election victory, was designed to suppress black votes by telling recipients to "relax" and assuring them that O'Malley had been successful even though the polls had not yet closed, the jury found. The call was scripted to give the impression it was coming from Democrats, not Republicans, jurors said.The jury found Schurick guilty on all four counts, including election fraud and failing to include an Ehrlich campaign authorization line on the calls. After the verdict was read, Schurick clutched his wife, who burst into tears. Schurick, who maintained a solemn face after the hearing as he comforted distraught family members and friends, declined to comment. [...]Schurick, whose sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 16, faces a total of 12 years in prison. Prosecutors told the judge Tuesday they would not seek to have Schurick incarcerated before sentencing.University of Baltimore law professor Byron L. Warnken said he didn't foresee jail time for Schurick and that he's already suffered a form of punishment through the public embarrassment of the trial. Warnken noted the four charges of which Schurick was convicted were misdemeanors, and that he isn't a threat to public safety."His reputation is soured. His ability to work in the industry is soured," Warnken said. "My guess would be he will be given a prison term, but it will be suspended and he will be placed on probation."[...]Herbert C. Smith, a political science professor at McDaniel College, said that the robocall in Schurick's case was an extreme example of "dirty tricks" in campaigns. "Deceptive Election Day literature, stuff like that, that's like driving 65 in a 55 miles per hour zone," Smith said. "This was going 120. This was way over the edge."[...]Schurick, 55, of Crownsville, was tried in Baltimore Circuit Court on charges of conspiracy and election fraud. His trial comes before that of political consultant Julius Henson, who crafted the robocall to Democrats in Baltimore City and Prince George's County that prosecutors say implied that voters should stay home from the polls. Henson is scheduled to be tried Feb. 6. Typical GOP voter suppression tactics. One down, one to go.