Roy McGrath, the former chief of staff to ex-Maryland Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, is currently the subject of a manhunt after he failed to appear in federal court for the start of his corruption trial.
U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman issued an arrest warrant for McGrath when he didn’t show up at the Baltimore courthouse. His lawyer, Joseph Murtha, said he had a productive conversation with McGrath on Sunday and expected to see him in court.
However, Murtha has been unable to contact McGrath since Sunday night when he was scheduled to fly from his home in Florida to Maryland.
Law enforcement agents are searching for McGrath in Naples, Florida, and the U.S. Marshals Service has declared him a “fugitive.” McGrath faces several charges, including wire fraud, embezzlement, misconduct in office, and improper use of state funds.
He is accused of falsely arranging a severance payment of $233,647, equivalent to one year’s salary, when he stepped down as head of the Maryland Environmental Service in May 2020.
Prosecutors allege that McGrath got the agency’s board to approve the payment by falsely telling them Hogan had approved of it.
McGrath served as a top aide to Hogan for about 11 weeks before resigning in August 2020 when media reports surfaced about his severance. He also faces fraud and embezzlement charges related to around $170,000 in expenses.
If convicted of the federal charges, McGrath faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each of four counts of wire fraud and a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for each of two counts of embezzling funds from an organization receiving more than $10,000 in federal benefits.
McGrath’s wife, Laura, has expressed concern for his safety and has requested that the media respect her need for privacy at this difficult time.
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