Paul E. Schurick, former top aide to governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., will serve 30 days’ home detention and 500 hours of public service during four years’ probation for his role in making robo-calls to thousands of voters in Baltimore city and Prince George’s County on election night in 2010.

The jury found Schurick, who also was an aide to the late former governor and Baltimore mayor William Donald Schaefer, guilty on four counts related to election fraud and conspiracy to violate election laws.

"This case needs to serve as a message to anyone who would interfere with anyone’s opportunity to vote," Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Lawrence P. Fletcher-Hill told Schurick.

The judge said he was sure Schurick would not repeat the mistake. But Fletcher-Hill added, "I’m not quite as sanguine" that some other campaign might not try such tactics again.

Acknowledging a courtroom packed with many friends and former colleagues and more than 100 letters of support attesting to Schurick’s good character, Fletcher-Hill told him: "You were wrong. [But] that does not make you a bad person. You have many reasons to be proud and happy and to put this behind you, and you should."

Schurick told the court he was "out of the business" of politics.

"I made a decision that destroyed any legacy I might have," he said, before the judge pronounced sentence.

"I know it contributed to public cynicism about politics ... I’m disappointed in myself for the decision I made, that I didn’t understand the ramifications. It was my decision. It was the wrong decision.”

He also said, “I consider it a profound personal failure. It ended my career and put my family through hell.”

In an interview after the sentencing, Schurick declined to say what career he was looking toward instead.

But one thing was clear. Fletcher-Hill told Schurick that his community service would be served in programs that would give him direct contact with residents of communities that received the robo-calls.

Half of the community service is to be served in Baltimore city, and half in Prince George’s County.

The judge also ordered that Schurick not be paid for any political activity during his probation, although, noting free-speech protections, he did not prohibit volunteer work.

State prosecutors had asked that Schurick not be allowed to work on campaigns during his sentence.

Judith Sachwald, former director of parole and probation for the state, and Zelig Robinson, who was political counsel and personal lawyer for Schaefer, took the stand for Schurick and for the defense's request that he be given probation before judgment.

Sachwald said it would waste resources for the state to supervise a person who doesn't need supervision or referral to services.

Although Fletcher-Hill ordered Schurick to pay costs for his home detention, he imposed no fine, noting that Schurick had "suffered financially" as he prepared for proceedings in his case and did not work most of the past year.

While Schurick will spend next week preparing for his home detention to begin, Julius Henson is slated to go on trial Thursday Feb. 23, also in Baltimore City Circuit Court.

Henson is the political consultant upon whose advice Schurick said he decided to have a phone message sent telling about 110,000 voters in the Democratic strongholds to stay home because Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) had won.

mhyslop@gazette.net