A campaign accountant who served as the Maryland Republican Party comptroller since 2017 has been indicted, court records unsealed on Monday show.
The Baltimore Banner reported James Appel's name is no longer included on the GOP's website, and the details aren't immediately viewable online, but the indictment shows that he is being accused of wire fraud and money laundering.
Appel had been questioned in February by the FBI after a discrepancy of more than $100,000 popped up in Maryland Del. Kathy Szeliga’s campaign finance account.
"In a campaign finance report submitted at 2:30 a.m. on Jan. 21 to the Maryland Board of Elections, the Friends of Kathy Szeliga — the delegate’s campaign election committee — had a bank account balance of $287,481.55," reported FoxBaltimore in February. "The filing documents more than $106,000 in new campaign donations during the 2025 reporting period and slightly more than $52,000 in expenditures.
Appel managed as many as 40 campaign accounts as the campaign treasurer, including former Gov. Larry Hogan (R-Md.), his LinkedIn page confirms. Under an entity registered to Appel called GOP Compliance, it reported $1,900 in expenditures during the same period. However, "between January 2020 and February 2026, GOP Compliance received $239,453.02 in payments and reimbursements from 22 campaign committees."
Szeliga alone reported paying GOP Compliance $1,900 last year.
Maryland GOP executive director Ashleigh Presnar told the Banner that Appel is no longer at the party but wouldn't give details on when that changed.
He was also the original treasurer of the Maryland Freedom Caucus, the report said. It includes seven conservative state delegates who pooled money as a slate. The caucus has also removed Appel as the treasurer.
Del. Matt Morgan, who chairs the caucus, told the Banner that they've "gone through our account and I’m not aware of any money missing."
Appel's LinkedIn shows that he owned a sandwich shop until he was appointed to be the Chief Financial Officer at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA) Marine Fisheries in March 2007.