Former Baltimore prosecutor Marilyn Mosby is seeking a presidential pardon as she spends decades behind bars for perjury and mortgage fraud.
The ex-prosecutor, 44, insisted MSNBCs Joy Reid said she did “absolutely nothing wrong, nothing illegal, nothing criminal,” and argued that Biden’s dismissal of her conviction would be “appropriate.”
Mosby said her conviction was a “political attack” against her, with Reid citing her decision to charge police officers involved in the controversial 2015 death of Freddie Gray as the reason she “found herself on the other side of the courtroom ‘.
She will be sentenced May 23 after a jury found her guilty of illegally withdrawing money from her city pension and lying on a mortgage application for a Florida home she bought with the money.
Former Baltimore District Attorney Marilyn Mosby Seeks Presidential Pardon While She Serves Decades Behind Bars for Perjury and Mortgage Fraud
Mosby, seen after her conviction in February, insisted she did “absolutely nothing wrong, nothing illegal, nothing criminal,” and argued that Biden’s dismissal of her conviction would be “appropriate.”
During her trial, the court heard how Mosby lied on her mortgage application for a $428,000 home in Long Boat Key, Florida, including falsely claiming that she had received a $5,000 gift from her husband.
Prosecutors said she claimed to have received the $5,000 to secure a lower interest rate, when in fact she sent the money to her husband first so he could then send it back in a financial trick.
In her interview with MSNBC, Reid said she was baffled that Mosby was being prosecuted for withdrawing “her own money,” suggesting that Mosby’s past run-ins with Republicans may have made her a target.
Mosby, a progressive whose soft stance on crime was blamed for rising crime in murder-ridden Baltimore, was notably indicted by Democratic U.S. Attorney Erek Barron and her trial was overseen by Biden-nominated Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby, reports Capital Gazette.
Speaking about herself in the third person, Mosby said she sees her past actions as a prosecutor as the reason she should go to prison. She added that she hopes the people she fought for will now stand up to support her.
“If they can do this to Marilyn Mosby, who had the audacity to challenge the status quo, they can do this to anyone,” she said.
“I want this justice system that I fought so hard for to equalize and balance the scales of justice, where the business model is built on the backs of black and brown people.”
Her call for a presidential pardon comes after an online petition to President Biden gathered nearly 10,000 signatures, which she did not launch herself but reportedly promoted.
Despite feeling that a pardon would be “appropriate,” she also reportedly has not filed with the Office of the Pardon Attorney, which reviews cases and makes recommendations to the president.
This luxury condo in Longboat Key, Florida, was the property Mosby lied about on mortgage documents
Mosby falsely claimed she was facing COVID-related financial hardship to use her city pension fund to help her purchase a property in Kissimmee. She claimed this house was a second home to get a lower interest rate
When asked about the pardon, Mosby added, “I know that I have done absolutely nothing wrong, nothing criminal, and that I have been separated from my children for 40 years as a result of withdrawing $90,000 of my own money . feeling.’
“They did this to demonize, vilify and break me… I have lost everything.”
But while Mosby claims her conviction was unjust, her critics say her “failed leadership” during her time in office worsened Baltimore’s crime problems.
“The consequences of that failed leadership will last for generations,” Medal of Valor recipient and police officer Dave Goitia told DailyMail.com after her conviction in February.
“The victims are the people of Baltimore who are experiencing violent crimes because of a police department that is completely demoralized.”
In particular, Mosby was criticized for her handling of the controversial 2015 death of Freddie Gray, whose death in police custody led to rioting and looting across the city until Mosby filed charges against six police officers who arrested him.
After failing to convict one of the police officers amid claims the charges were unjust — and the DOJ declining to press charges after a federal investigation — some in law enforcement claimed she caved to pressure from rioters and the labeled officers as ‘sacrificial lambs’.
Mosby also had her own run-ins with the law, including a $45,000 tax lien on one of her fraudulent properties in Florida, despite reportedly making nearly $250,000 a year.
Mosby came under sharp criticism in law enforcement circles for her handling of the 2015 death of Freddie Gray (pictured), who died in police custody. Mosby failed to convict the officers involved, and a judge is said to have ‘laughed at her’
Gray’s death sparked riots and looting across Baltimore, injuring 113 police officers and arresting 486 people, as critics claimed Mosby caved to pressure to falsely file charges.
Mosby lost reelection in 2022 after she was indicted by a federal grand jury, with her successor Ivan Bates taking a tougher stance on crime.
The federal criminal charges stemmed from allegations that Mosby claimed a pandemic-related hardship to make early withdrawals from her retirement account, then used those funds for down payments on the Florida properties.
During her trial, prosecutor Aaron Zelinsky alleged that she repeatedly lied on the mortgage applications, telling the court, “She was the top prosecutor in the city of Baltimore and oversaw hundreds of attorneys.
“You know what prosecutors know a lot about? Fraud. Mortgage fraud.”