Former Maryland Department of Labor employee sentenced for insurance fraud scheme

BALTIMORE -- A former Maryland Department of Labor employee was sentenced to a year and a half in jail for insurance fraud and theft committed during her 18 months of employment, according to the Office of the Attorney General (OAG).  

Shanell Angelia West, 46, of Essex was a clerk at the department. In October 2024, she pleaded guilty to stealing funds from licensees by altering checks payable to the state and depositing them into her personal bank accounts, according to the OAG.  

After she was fired, West continued to deposit forged checks she obtained while she was employed.  

On June 25, 2023, West filed an insurance claim for wages she lost after missing work due to a car accident. However, she had already been terminated from her job in 2022, before the period during which she said she lost wages, according to the OAG.  

During the theft scheme, West made between $1,500 and $25,000, the OAG said.  

She was sentenced to a year and a half in prison and five years of probation.