Former Gov. Larry Hogan's (R-MD) ex-chief of staff Roy McGrath never planned to stand trial in Baltimore on charges of wire fraud, becoming a fugitive after declining to buy a plane ticket for the journey and failing to appear in court.
An FBI search warrant said McGrath did not purchase a plane ticket for Baltimore or make reservations to fly from Florida to Maryland for his court appearance, which was scheduled for March 13.
LARRY HOGAN'S FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF DEAD AFTER FBI-INVOLVED SHOOTING
McGrath engaged in a standoff with law enforcement on April 3 after the FBI tracked the fugitive to Knoxville, Tennessee. He died from injuries sustained in a shooting with an FBI agent, but it is unknown whether it was self-inflicted or not.
The FBI reportedly tracked McGrath, 53, using cellphone data.
McGrath served as chief of staff for Hogan for less than three months, from June to August 2020, after serving as director of the Maryland Environmental Service from December 2016 until May 2020. He was facing an eight-count indictment with charges including wire fraud and theft for actions purportedly taken while he was serving in the state government.
He was accused of allegedly securing a $233,648 severance payment equal to one year of salary as the head of the Maryland Environmental Service and faced fraud and embezzlement charges for roughly $170,000 in expenses.
McGrath was expected to arrive in court in March but did not show up, leading the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service to offer a combined $20,000 reward for information that could lead to his arrest.
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Joseph Murtha, McGrath's attorney, said his client never wavered in his innocence. Murtha said before his client was found that McGrath had planned to go to Baltimore and was surprised he did not show up in court.
During the three weeks that McGrath was on the run, two books outlining his case, from his perspective, were published on Amazon.