ANNAPOLIS, Md. — A federal pass judgement on issued an arrest warrant on Monday for Roy McGrath, the one-time aide to former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, after McGrath failed to look in courtroom as his trial on federal fraud charges used to be set to start.
U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman issued the arrest warrant in U.S. District Court in Baltimore on Monday morning. McGrath had an arraignment scheduled for 9 a.m. in a superseding indictment in his federal case. Jury variety used to be scheduled to start Monday morning. The pass judgement on ended up excusing the jurors and the case has been postponed, mentioned McGrath’s legal professional, Joseph Murtha.
Murtha mentioned he spoke to McGrath overdue Sunday afternoon or early night, they usually had “a substantively productive conversation.” Murtha said he anticipated seeing his client at the courthouse at 8:45 a.m. Monday, but McGrath did not arrive.
“I have no further information,” Murtha said in a telephone interview. “I really do hope that he’s safe. I was shocked, quite honestly.”
McGrath, who had moved to Naples, Florida, faces an eight-count federal indictment. Charges include wire fraud, including securing a $233,648 severance payment equal to one year of salary as the head of Maryland Environmental Service. He also faces fraud and embezzlement charges connected to roughly $170,000 in expenses. McGrath has pleaded not guilty.
In the Know:Dreaded Collier exit embarking toward I-75 version of spaghetti junction
Million dollar listing:Port Royal estate lists for more than $174 million
McGrath did not return cellphone calls or emails Monday morning.
McGrath resigned in August 2020 when he was just 11 weeks into the job as Hogan’s chief of staff, after the payments became public.
McGrath was appointed by Hogan to serve as executive director of the environmental agency in December 2016. The corporation owned by the state provides environmental services such as water and wastewater management and other services to state and local government agencies, federal government entities, and private clients.
The federal and state charges allege that from March 2019 through December 2020, McGrath personally enriched himself by using his positions of trust as the director and the chief of staff for the governor to get the agency to make payments to himself.
The indictment alleges McGrath got the agency’s board to approve paying him a $233,648 severance payment — equal to one year’s salary — upon his departure by falsely telling them the governor was aware of and approved the payment.
If convicted of the federal fees, McGrath faces a most sentence of two decades in federal jail for every of 4 counts of cord fraud; and a most of 10 years in federal jail for every of 2 counts of embezzling price range from a company receiving greater than $10,000 in federal advantages.