A federal jury in Maryland convicted Baltimore’s former top prosecutor Marilyn Mosby on Thursday on perjury charges. The jury found Mosby was guilty of falsifying financial duress claims in order to withdraw funds from a retirement fund.
A jury in the US District Court of Maryland convicted Mosby on two federal perjury counts after she falsely claimed financial hardship from the COVID-19 pandemic. She used these claims of hardship to obtain early access to the City of Baltimore’s Deferred Compensation Plan. For each count, Mosby faces a maximum federal prison sentence of five years. Sentencing has not yet been scheduled.
US Attorney Erek Barron, announced the conviction on Thursday and said, “We respect the jury’s verdict and remain steadfastly committed to our mission to uphold the rule of law, keep our country safe, protect the civil rights of all Americans, and safeguard public property.”
During the pandemic in 2020, Mosby requested a one-time withdrawal of $90,000 from the City of Baltimore’s Deferred Compensation Plan. According to evidence introduced during trial, there was no presence of a financial hardship found, as Mosby received her full gross salary of $247,955.58 that same year.
Specifically, the jury convicted Mosby on both counts under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Under the act, Mosby was permitted to obtain up to $100,000 in emergency distribution from her retirement plan for instances of furlough, layoff, quarantine, reduced hours, inability to work due to lack of childcare, or the closing or reduction of business hours of operation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The jury found that Mosby was not able to sufficiently demonstrate any of these hardships to warrant the withdrawal of $90,000 total from the retirement fund.
Mosby was elected as Baltimore City’s state attorney in 2014, becoming one of the youngest top prosecutors in the state. Serving two terms, Mosby made headlines for charging police officers with the death of Freddie Gray, a Black detainee, in 2015.
Mosby is also facing separate charges for mortgage fraud, where she may face a maximum of 30 years in prison. A trial date for these charges has not been scheduled yet.
