Maryland Republican political consultant James Appel was indicted on three counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering for allegedly embezzling from at least one of his clients as part of a scheme to finance a yacht.

The federal indictment against the Annapolis-based consultant was unsealed Monday in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, Maryland Matters reported.

According to federal prosecutors, Appel allegedly stole money from the account of at least one elected official and one community organization with which he was associated.

He is accused of only stealing money from the two accounts to finance his yacht lifestyle, and signing campaign finance reports misrepresenting the balances of the account. Appel also allegedly lied about bank balances to board members of the community group from which he allegedly stole.

Appel owns GOP Compliance, an Annapolis-based political consulting firm that assists Republican candidates and organizations with campaign finance reporting.

According to a search of Maryland State Board of Elections records, Appel is listed as the treasurer on as many as 20 campaign accounts, in addition to the House Republican Caucus and the Talbot County Republican Central Committee.

Appel allegedly stole from at least one of his clients, transferring about $100,000 total from a campaign account controlled by an unnamed politician.

The money would eventually move to various personal accounts allegedly controlled by Appel. The transferred funds were used to pay off debt or to bolster his personal wealth as he sought to finance a Pacific Mariner 65 yacht.

The indictment does not name the elected official from whom Appel allegedly stole, but mentions that it was a Maryland state legislator.

Maryland Del. Kathy Szeliga (R-Baltimore County) told the news outlet that she is the unnamed politician referred to in the indictment.

“Today’s indictment confirms what many of us suspected,” Szeliga said in a statement. “As a trusted professional, political, and commercial treasurer, James Appel exploited that trust and stole from the very people he was hired to serve. It’s a betrayal beyond words.”

“I am one of the victims in this case,” she added. “Like others, I relied on him to handle campaign finances honestly and transparently. Instead, he allegedly diverted and embezzled funds that were contributed in good faith by hardworking Marylanders, who are also victims of his alleged crimes.”

Szeliga declined to confirm the exact dollar amount that was stolen from her, but said she continues to “work with the FBI.”

She has paid more than $7,500 in accounting, legal, and consulting fees to Appel’s firm since 2020, according to Maryland campaign finance records.

Appel also allegedly transferred a total of $100,000 from the bank account of a community organization in Anne Arundel County. The indictment does not name the group, but it is described as one that organized and promoted tennis events in the county. He is currently listed as a board member of the Anne Arundel County Tennis Association.

On Monday, Appel pleaded not guilty and was released.

If convicted, he will face a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison for each wire fraud count, and up to 10 years for each money laundering count.