Former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan’s chief of staff is shot dead

Roy McGrath, 53, a chief of staff to former Maryland governor Larry Hogan, has died — just weeks after being declared a fugitive by the FBI.

He died after succumbing to gunshot wounds after a confrontation with police late Monday night, his lawyer confirmed.

His death came after FBI agents raided the ex-GOP staffer’s home after he failed to appear for a federal trial on fraud charges over allegations that he had used his high position to divert more than $230,000 in state funds. to steal.

McGrath had pleaded not guilty to wire fraud and document forgery charges in October 2021 and was released on bail, but did not appear in court for his trial.

After failing to show up, McGrath was promptly declared a fugitive, leading officers to storm his $610,000 Florida home on March 15. The FBI said he was considered an international flight risk.

McGrath, who was indicted in 2021 on federal fraud charges, was for many years the chief of staff to two-year Maryland governor Larry Hogan, who left office in January after eight years of service to the Old Line State.

McGrath, who was scheduled to appear in Baltimore last month for the start of his criminal trial, instead left his lawyer alone on the steps of the city’s federal courthouse, leading US Marshals to release this wanted poster later that day.

The US Marshals Service, part of the Justice Department, said last month it had launched an interstate fugitive investigation and published a “Wanted” poster of McGrath.

Attorney Joseph Murtha said the FBI confirmed Roy McGrath’s death to him.

He added that it was not immediately clear whether McGrath’s injury was self-inflicted or during a gunfire with officers.

“The loss of Roy’s life is an absolute tragedy and I think it’s important for me to say that Roy never questioned his innocence,” Murtha said.

The FBI had previously said McGrath, once a top aide to a former Maryland governor, was hospitalized after a shooting involving an officer, but declined to elaborate.

Feds flooded this Naples home that McGrath shares with his wife on Wednesday, less than 48 hours after he failed to show up for court. The couple moved into a $610,000 home in 2020, after the scandal surfaced and McGrath was released on bail

“During the arrest, the subject, Roy McGrath, suffered injuries and was transported to hospital. The FBI takes seriously all shooting incidents involving our agents or task force members,” the FBI said in a statement.

William Brennan, a lawyer for McGrath’s wife, Laura Bruner, also confirmed the death, saying she was “absolutely distraught.”

Indicted in 2021 on federal fraud charges, McGrath was for many years the chief of staff to two-year Maryland governor Larry Hogan (seen here last year), who left office in January after eight years of service to the Old Line State

According to an earlier email from Shayne Buchwald, the FBI’s special oversight agent in Maryland, McGrath was wounded in “an officer-involved shooting” around 6:30 p.m. in a commercial area on the southwestern outskirts of Knoxville, Tennessee.

Hogan, who served as governor of Maryland from 2015 to 2023, as a critic of Donald Trump, had considered running for the Republican nomination for president in 2024. But Hogan announced last month before McGrath went missing that he would not run.

Hogan said in a statement that he and his wife, Yumi Hogan, were saddened by the “tragic situation.” Baltimore sun reported.

“We are praying for Mr. McGrath’s family and loved ones,” Hogan said.

After McGrath failed to appear at the Baltimore federal courthouse on March 13, Murtha said he believed McGrath, who had moved to Naples, Florida, planned to fly to Maryland the night before. Instead of starting the selection of jurors, a judge issued an arrest warrant and fired potential jurors.

McGrath was indicted in 2021 on charges that he fraudulently obtained a $233,648 severance package, equivalent to one year’s salary as head of the Maryland Environmental Service, by falsely telling the agency’s board that the governor had approved it.

He was also charged with fraud and embezzlement in connection with approximately $170,000 in expenses. McGrath pleaded not guilty.

McGrath resigned in 2020 after only 11 weeks in office as Hogan’s chief of staff after the payments became public.

If convicted on the federal charges, he would have received a maximum prison term of 20 years for each of the four counts of wire fraud, plus a maximum of 10 years for each of the two counts of misappropriation of funds from an organization exceeding received $10,000 in federal benefits. .