Prince George's Clerk candidate faces scrutiny over past theft convictions

Qiana Johnson’s bid for Prince George’s County clerk of the circuit court has turned into a test of whether voters will separate a candidate’s criminal past from the public trust demanded by the courthouse office she wants to hold. Johnson is running for a job that controls court records, filings, writs, oaths and civil, criminal and juvenile case files, a role that makes her theft convictions impossible to ignore.

The clerk of court is a locally elected state judicial official in Maryland, and the office’s duties are established and regulated by state law. Each year, the clerk’s office files, processes and maintains civil, criminal and juvenile actions, making the post one of the county’s most visible record-keeping positions. Mahasin S. El Amin is the current clerk and has served since Dec. 3, 2018. She was first elected in November 2018 and was re-elected in November 2022.

Johnson’s name is on the ballot for the 2026 election cycle, which closed candidate filing on Feb. 24, 2026, at 9 p.m. Maryland State Board of Elections records list the clerk of the circuit court race among county offices this year, placing the contest squarely before Prince George’s voters as they weigh who should oversee one of the court system’s most sensitive administrative posts.

Court records show Johnson was convicted in Prince George’s County on April 23, 2015, of theft over $100,000 and conspiracy to commit theft over $100,000. A Maryland appellate opinion later affirmed those convictions. Earlier reporting described the case as part of a Prince George’s County real-estate theft scheme, and noted that Johnson later received prison time and supervised probation.

Johnson’s campaign website says she is focused on transparency, court accountability and community service. WJLA reported that she is hoping the ballot box will reflect a belief in second chances. Her broader public profile now centers on legal empowerment, and one of her affiliated organizations, Life After Release, has been described in legislative testimony as a movement-building group led by formerly incarcerated women focused on dismantling inequitable systems.

That leaves Prince George’s County voters with a sharp question in a race that reaches beyond partisan politics: can a candidate with a theft conviction credibly oversee the office responsible for preserving the integrity of the court record itself? In a county where courthouse trust carries direct consequences for families, defendants, lawyers and victims, the answer will shape more than one election result.