It’s a fun day at The Daily Record when we get to write about sex-enhancement potions, especially when there’s a connection to a law firm with roots here.

You’ll probably recall that earlier this week, the founder of Berkeley Premium Nutraceuticals, maker of the “male enhancement” supplement Enzyte, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for fraud and other charges.

Today, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Berkeley’s in-house lawyer, Paul Kellogg, was sentenced to one year for obstruction and money laundering. He apparently advised the company to hide its money from the government by setting up trusts. That’s where the local connection comes in:

[U.S. District Judge S. Arthur] Spiegel asked prosecutors whether they would investigate a Baltimore-based law firm, the Venable firm, because two of its lawyers advised the company about the trusts. [Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne] Porter said that was unlikely but she would be willing to consider any evidence Kellogg could provide.

She said Kellogg has refused to cooperate so far.

A spokesman for Venable did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Late in the afternoon before a holiday weekend, I couldn’t get any comment from a Venable PR rep either.

CARYN TAMBER, Legal Affairs Writer

Garrett County, currently functioning without a district court judge, moved one step closer Friday afternoon to getting one.

Friday was the deadline for new applications for the seat that belonged to Judge Ralph M. Burnett before his death last May. Burnett was Garrett’s only district judge, so the rural county has gone without one for more than a year now. Garrett’s circuit court judge and the two district court judges in neighboring Allegany County have been picking up the slack.

The Trial Courts Judicial Nominating Commission that covers Western Maryland advertised the vacancy last year and received four applications, but they only deemed two of the candidates qualified enough to forward on to the governor.

After that, O’Malley said in an executive order that commissions have to give him at least three choices. The Western Maryland commission took a second look at the two candidates they originally rejected but again passed them over.

The commission readvertised the vacancy and now has two additional candidates to consider, Oakland lawyers Leonard J. Eiswert and Linda S. Sherbin.

CARYN TAMBER, Legal Affairs Writer