MD county executive denies report of ‘inappropriate’ photos sent to deputies

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Wicomico County Executive Julie Giordano defiantly denied a report that she sent inappropriate photos to Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office deputies, saying she was “absolutely disgusted by what was published.”

WBFF Fox 45 published a report June 9 that alleged Giordano’s conduct and Sheriff Mike Lewis responding with a letter in 2024 to the executive telling her to stop sending “semi-nude, nude or pornographic photographs of herself to sheriff’s deputies.” Lewis confirmed a letter exists but has refused to release it or detail what specifically it said.

In a news conference Wednesday in Council Chambers at the Wicomico County Government Office Building, Giordano labeled the report “false allegations.”

Lewis confirmed the letter’s existence in an interview, WBFF reported, but would not release it without a court order.

Delmarva Now has filed a Maryland Public Information request for the letter and correspondence between Giordano and Lewis.

“For the last three years, I’ve been forced to address the same false allegations over and over again,” Giordano said, “so let me crystal clear, and I want there to be absolutely no misunderstanding about what I’m saying. As the county executive of Wicomico County, I have never sent inappropriate photographs to a deputy, to a county employee or to anyone else. I never have, I never would, period. These allegations are completely false. They are not based on facts. They are not supported by evidence, they are nothing more than an attack on my character, my integrity and my reputation.”

Giordano addressed “letters” that were mentioned in the report.

“The letters were simply the excuse, they were the hook, they were the masquerade used to drag these false accusations back into the public eye for one purpose, to damage me politically and personally.”

As WBFF reported, the controversy stems from allegations that Giordano, both during her 2022 campaign and early into her tenure as county executive, sent “nude or semi-nude photos to deputies in the sheriff’s office.” WBFF also reported that in October 2024, Lewis issued a letter to the county executive demanding an end to the behavior.

Lewis declined to release the document voluntarily, telling WBFF “I’m not going to give you a copy of that letter unless I’m ordered to by the court. And when I’m ordered by the court, you will get a copy of that letter.”

Lewis has not responded yet to Delmarva Now to a request for comment.

Reporting by Keith Demko, Salisbury Daily Times / USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect.