Artie Cofield lost nearly three years of his life fighting charges for a murder he did not commit.
Artie Cofield, who was wrongfully arrested and incarcerated for a murder he did not commit, has filed a federal lawsuit against Charles County Corporal Andrea Worley and Charles County Master Sergeant Timothy Miner (collectively, “Defendants”), for violating his civil rights and causing his wrongful arrest and incarceration. The lawsuit seeks accountability for the immense harm Mr. Cofield endured as a direct result of Defendants’ misconduct that stripped him of his liberty, traumatized him and his family, and labeled him publicly as a murderer. Mr. Cofield is represented by Brown, Goldstein & Levy attorneys Neel Lalchandani, Jacqueline Cadman, and Alisha Jarwala.
On February 12, 2022, while traveling with his family, Mr. Cofield was arrested in Wichita Falls, Texas, and charged with the first-degree murder of Herbert Andrei James in Charles County, Maryland. Despite indications of Mr. Cofield’s innocence, including a complete absence of physical evidence linking him to the crime, the Charles County Sheriff’s Office single-mindedly pursed Mr. Cofield as the only suspect. The case was Corporal Worley’s first homicide investigation as lead detective, and she was inadequately supervised by Master Sergeant Miner. Corporal Worley included three false statements in charging documents that she signed under penalty of perjury, and which she later admitted were false. The false statements in the charging documents directly led to the initiation of criminal proceedings against Mr. Cofield. Despite serving as Corporal Worley’s supervisor, Master Sergeant Miner stood by without intervening to prevent the violation of Mr. Cofield’s constitutional rights.
Over the next three years, Mr. Cofield suffered numerous injuries during his incarceration at the Charles County Detention Center and under house arrest. He experienced serious health issues, including dangerously high blood pressure, for which he received inadequate medical care. Mr. Cofield was robbed of the chance to support his wife and two minor children financially and emotionally during this time.
On March 5, 2025, a Charles County jury found Mr. Cofield not guilty on all counts. Following an internal affairs investigation, the Charles County Sheriff’s Office sustained a complaint against Corporal Worley based on her conduct in Mr. Cofield’s criminal case.
Even after his acquittal, Mr. Cofield continues to experience severe emotional distress from the harm he experienced due to Corporal Worley’s and Master Sergeant Miner’s misconduct.
“Artie Cofield lost nearly three years of his life because Charles County detectives cut corners and put false statements in sworn charging documents,” said Alisha Jarwala. “That’s not the way our criminal justice system is supposed to work. This lawsuit is about holding those officers accountable and ensuring that what happened to Artie does not happen to anyone else.”
The complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. Read it here.
ABOUT NEEL LALCHANDANI
Neel Lalchandani represents individuals, nonprofits, and companies in a diverse array of civil rights and commercial matters. Among other victories for his clients, Neel has helped secure several of the largest payments in Maryland history for victims of police misconduct, including more than $80 million for innocent men imprisoned for crimes they did not commit. Learn more about Neel here.
ABOUT JACQUELINE CADMAN
Jacqueline Cadman is widely regarded as one of the best criminal trial lawyers in the Washington D.C. and Baltimore metro areas. She brings to the firm 20 years of experience as a seasoned trial attorney who works tirelessly to give a voice to individuals facing unjust government or state treatment, prosecution, or investigation. Jacqui fights to make sure that her clients are protected and that their voices are heard in a system that is designed to silence them. Learn more about Jacqueline here.
ABOUT ALISHA JARWALA
Alisha Jarwala joined Brown, Goldstein & Levy in June 2025. Before joining the firm, Alisha served as a trial attorney at the Housing and Civil Enforcement Section of the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Justice, where she investigated and litigated complex civil rights cases. Learn more about Alisha.
ABOUT BROWN, GOLDSTEIN & LEVY LLP
Founded in 1982, Brown, Goldstein & Levy is a law firm based in Baltimore, Maryland, with an office in Washington, DC. The firm is nationally recognized in a wide variety of practice areas, including complex civil and commercial litigation, civil rights, health care, family law, and criminal defense. Above all else, Brown, Goldstein & Levy is a client-centered law firm that brings decades of experience and passionate, effective advocacy to your fight for justice.