Former Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion and fraud charges a day after she was indicted.
Pugh, a 69-year-old Democrat, entered the pleas in federal court Thursday. She pleaded guilty to four of the 11 charges levied against her for her alleged participation in a scheme involving sales of her self-published children’s book series, Healthy Holly.
Prosecutors say that Pugh defrauded Baltimore businesses and nonprofits with about $800,000 in sales of her books. Pugh resigned from public office earlier this year.
Officials from the IRS and FBI raided Baltimore City Hall and her house in April during their three-year criminal investigation. Pugh was allegedly paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for copies of the books from the University of Maryland Medical Center in a no-bid deal while she still served on UMMC’s board. She resigned from the board after the investigation began.
Two other people, Pugh’s former aide, 38-year-old Gary Brown Jr., and 50-year-old Roslyn Wedington, who ran a nonprofit linked to the case, also pleaded guilty to federal charges as part of the investigations.
Federal prosecutors said Pugh evaded thousands of dollars in taxes. While running for mayor in 2016, she told the IRS she made just $31,000 when her income was actually closer to $322,000.
On May 2, after Pugh resigned, Jack Young became the new mayor of Baltimore.
