John A. Giannetti Jr.

John A. Giannetti Jr. (born June 9, 1964) is an American politician and former attorney from Maryland. As a Democrat, Giannetti was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1998 for District 13B and served from 1999 to 2003. In 2002 he was elected into the State Senate for District 21, which covers parts of Anne Arundel County and Prince George's County. He was defeated in the 2006 Democratic primary and general elections by former member of the Maryland House of Delegates and U.S. Ambassador to Romania James Rosapepe.

John A. Giannetti Jr.
Member of the Maryland Senate from the 21st district
In office
January 8, 2003 – January 10, 2007
Preceded byArthur Dorman
Succeeded byJames Rosapepe
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates from the 13B district
In office
January 13, 1999 – January 8, 2003
Preceded byJohn S. Morgan
Succeeded byNeil F. Quinter
Personal details
Born (1964-06-09) June 9, 1964
Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Unknown,
Erin Appel
​
(m. 2004)​
Alma materBucknell University (1986);[1] University of Maryland School of Law (1994)[1]
OccupationAttorney (suspended)

As a legislator, Giannetti was the primary sponsor of more than 50 bills that became law, many focusing on changes to business law, juvenile law, and criminal law statutes.[2]

In February 2006, Giannetti rescued his political rival from choking using the Heimlich maneuver.[3] The incident was reported nationally[4] and received mention on national network morning news programs and by late-night comedians.[5]

Early life

Giannetti was born at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to Gail (Reilly) and John Giannetti, a U.S. Marine.[6][7] John Jr. attended Westminster High School. He received his B.S. from Bucknell University (biology) in 1986, and his J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1994.[1] After a first marriage ended, Giannetti married Erin Appel in June 2004.[8]

Career

Giannetti was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1995 and the District of Columbia Bar in 2002. He was an attorney for Vallario & Collins (1995–1998), Fossett and Brugger (1998–2000), and Jackson & Campbell, P.C. in Washington, D.C. (2001–2004). He was a partner in the Montgomery County, Maryland law firm Leibowitz, Band & Jezic (2006–2007), and then founded the Law Offices of John Giannetti in Annapolis, Maryland, with offices in Anne Arundel, Prince George's, Howard, and Wicomico Counties. His law practice represented businesses, families, and individuals and handles cases in criminal defense, business law, family law, and some zoning matters.

In October 2016, Maryland's Attorney Grievance Commission filed a petition for disciplinary or remedial action against Giannetti for not filing state or federal taxes from 2008 through 2015. Giannetti says he has since filed and is paying the taxes plus penalties and interest. An April 28, 2017 Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County hearing considered whether Giannetti should be disciplined in the form of a reprimand, suspension or disbarment. Giannetti said the complaint stemmed from a long-running child custody battle.[3] In June 2017, a Circuit Court judge ruled that Giannetti violated professional conduct rules.[9] In December 2017, the Maryland Court of Appeals issued a final ruling and suspended Giannetti indefinitely from practicing law.[10][11] He was able to apply for reinstatement after one year.[12]

Election results

Giannetti was defeated by James Rosapepe in the 2006 Democratic primary election. After the Republican nominee dropped out of the 2006 race the week after the primary election, Giannetti switched his affiliation to the Republican Party, and was appointed by the Maryland Republican Party's central committee to run in the general election, where he was again defeated by Rosapepe.[13] In 2007, he returned his registration to the Democratic Party. Giannetti became the chair of the Annapolis Democratic Central Committee in 2015.[14] He resigned as chair and took a hiatus from the committee in June 2017 when news of his prior tax filing issues became known.[9]

  • 2006 Race for Maryland State Senate – District 21[15]
Voters to choose one:
Name Votes Percent Outcome
James Rosapepe (D) 16,372 68% Won
John A. Giannetti Jr. (R) 7,700 32% Lost
  • 2002 Race for Maryland Senate – District 21[16]
Name Votes Percent Outcome
John A. Giannetti Jr. (D) 18,767 97.08% Won
Other Write-Ins 564 2.92% Lost
  • 1998 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – District 13B[17]
Voters to choose one:
Name Votes Percent Outcome
John A. Giannetti Jr. (D) 4,950 58% Won
John S. Morgan (R) 3,512 42% Lost
  • 1994 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – District 13B[18]
Voters to choose one:
Name Votes Percent Outcome
John S. Morgan (R) 4,167 57% Won
John A. Giannetti Jr. (D) 3,101 43% Lost

References and notes
  1. "John A. Giannetti, Jr". msa.md.gov. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved September 28, 2009.
  2. "Prior Session Information". mlis.state.md.us. Maryland Department of Legislative Services, Office of Information Systems. Archived from the original on December 19, 2009. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
  3. Furgurson III, E.B. (April 14, 2017). "Former state senator John Giannetti facing possible attorney discipline over tax troubles". The Capital. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  4. Orlando, Linda (March 3, 2006). "Maryland Senator Saves Life of His Opponent". Buzzle. Archived from the original on June 20, 2009. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
  5. Craig Ferguson (September 19, 2009). "John Giannetti – An Act of Heroism". The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS). YouTube. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  6. Rasmussen, Frederick N. (August 4, 2021). "Gail R. Cross obituary". The Baltimore Sun. p. A10. Retrieved October 3, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Hunter, Ryan (August 25, 2014). "Arnold Resident instrumental in creation of monument". The Baltimore Sun. p. A2. Retrieved October 3, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Giannetti joined the Mariens in 1962
  8. Nitkin, David (June 29, 2004). "News of their wedding released in great detail". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  9. Cook, Chase (June 28, 2017). "Former Maryland senator found to have violated lawyer conduct rules". Capital Gazette. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  10. Roy, Anamika (December 19, 2017). "Former Md. legislator indefinitely suspended from practicing law". The Daily Record. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  11. Attorney Grievance Committee v. John Alexander Giannetti Jr (Md. December 15, 2017).Text
  12. Cook, Chase (December 15, 2017). "Former Annapolis Democratic Party chairman suspended from practicing law". Capital Gazette. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  13. Praskievicz, Owen (September 27, 2006). "Giannetti to run as Republican candidate". diamondbackonline.com. The Diamondback. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
  14. "John A Giannetti Jr". Avvo. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
  15. "Maryland State Senate, District 21". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 2, 2009.
  16. "2002 Gubernatorial General – Official Results". Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved February 2, 2009.
  17. "House of Delegates Results". Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved on Jan, 25th, 2008
  18. "House of Delegates Results". Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved January 25, 2008.
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