The U.S. Marshals Service has launched an interstate manhunt for Roy McGrath, a former chief of staff for Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, after he failed to appear for the start of his trial on fraud charges.
The service’s Baltimore office described the search as an “interstate fugitive investigation.”
“It is now seeking to apprehend the former Maryland governor’s top aide after he failed to appear in court on Monday, March 13,” the office tweeted Tuesday. “If you have information on his whereabouts, submit a tip.”
The marshals provided a link that describes how to submit a tip.
U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman issued a warrant for Mr. McGrath’s arrest after he failed to show up in her Baltimore courtroom.
Mr. McGrath’s lawyer, Joseph Murtha, said he didn’t know why his client failed to appear and that he couldn’t reach Mr. McGrath.
Mr. McGrath faces charges related to a payout he received after leaving as executive director of the Maryland Environmental Service to become Mr. Hogan’s chief of staff in 2020.
An indictment alleges Mr. McGrath falsified a document related to a severance payment of a year’s salary — $233,647 — so that it looked like Mr. Hogan approved it.
When asked about it, prosecutors allege, Mr. McGrath falsely told the governor the MES Board of Directors had offered him the severance payment in accordance with their usual practice.
Prosecutors also accused Mr. McGrath of misusing MES funds for personal expenses and falsifying time sheets to claim he was at work while on two vacations in 2019.
Mr. McGrath lasted 11 weeks on the job before resigning in August 2020 from Mr. Hogan’s administration.
He faces charges of wire fraud, falsifying a document and embezzling funds from an organization receiving more than $10,000 in federal benefits. The most serious charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
