The former chief of staff for Republican Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland was indicted Tuesday afternoon on federal and state fraud charges.
Roy McGrath, who served as Hogan’s chief of staff for just over two months in 2020, was indicted by a grand jury on charges of “fraudulently obtaining funds” from his former job with the Maryland Environmental Service and illegally recording conversations with senior Maryland state officials, according to a press release issued by Maryland State Prosecutor Charlton Howard.
McGrath, 52, “fraudulently obtained” more than $276,731 from MES, roughly a year’s worth of salary, as a severance package, the prosecutor’s office said. MES funds were also used by McGrath to pay a personal pledge to a museum and to pay the tuition for a class he took after he left his job with the company, according to the press release.
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“According to this indictment, Roy McGrath misappropriated public money for his own benefit. From personal travel to even obtaining a certificate from one of the most prestigious universities in the nation, McGrath’s alleged actions were self-serving and ultimately self-sabotaging,” Thomas Sobocinski, the special agent in charge for the FBI Baltimore Field Office, said in the press release.
McGrath resigned from his position as chief of staff for Hogan on Aug. 17, 2020, roughly two months after he started on June 1 after the large severance payment from MES was reported, according to the Washington Post.
Hogan was reportedly unaware of any type of severance package existing between MES and McGrath prior to him beginning his position in Hogan’s administration. McGrath assured several members on the board of directors with MES that Hogan had knowledge of the severance payment, according to the press release.
NEW: Roy McGrath, Gov. Hogan’s former chief of staff, charged with fraud. Federal indictment dated today.⬇️ pic.twitter.com/PzkbygHdBJ
— Paul Gessler (@PaulGessler) October 5, 2021
If convicted on the federal charges, McGrath could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each of four counts of wire fraud and a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for each of two counts of embezzlement of funds from an organization that receives more than $10,000 in federal benefits.
If convicted on the state charges, McGrath could face the maximum punishment for any sentence that is not “cruel or unusual for Misconduct by a Public Official,” in addition to facing a maximum sentence of five years in prison for “Felony Theft, Felony Theft Scheme, Misappropriation, and for each violation of the Maryland Wiretap Statute,” the statement added.
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Michael Ricci, director of communications for Hogan, expressed to the Washington Examiner how “serious and deeply troubling” the charges against McGrath are.
“Marylanders deserve to know that their public officials are held to the highest ethical standards,” he said.
Ricci added that Hogan’s office has “actively assisted law enforcement” with their investigations and is “confident that the justice system will uphold the public trust.”
McGrath will be expected to appear in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland in Baltimore, along with appearing in the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court, but no hearings have been scheduled yet, according to the prosecutor’s press release.
