Progressive Baltimore Prosecutor Found Guilty of Perjury to Get COVID Money

Maryland State Attorney for Baltimore City Marilyn Mosby speaks during a press conference in Baltimore on Oct. 11, 2022. Julio Cortez/AP Photo

Marilyn Mosby, a former high-profile progressive prosecutor in Baltimore, has been found guilty on federal charges of perjury for falsely claiming that she suffered financial hardship during the pandemic to access early retirement funds from the city under a COVID-19 relief program.

Ms. Mosby, who served two terms as state’s attorney for Baltimore, was found guilty on Nov. 9 of two counts of perjury when, in May 2020 and December 2020, she submitted “coronavirus-related distribution requests” for two withdrawals of $40,000 and $50,000 from City of Baltimore’s Deferred Compensation Plan, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

She was indicted by a grand jury last year on charges of perjury and making false mortgage applications (relating to the purchase of two vacation homes in Florida); the latter charges are pending in a separate federal case for which a trial date hasn’t yet been set.

Regarding the perjury charges, the special distribution of funds from retirement accounts was allowed under the CARES Act as a form of relief during the pandemic—but only if certain conditions were met. This included having experienced adverse financial consequences from COVID-19, such as being quarantined or laid off.

Evidence at trial showed that Ms. Mosby submitted two separate requests for special distributions, in which she affirmed “under penalties of perjury” that she had experienced financial hardship in order to qualify.

“As proven at trial, Mosby did not experience any such financial hardships and in fact, Mosby received her full gross salary of $247,955.58 from January 1, 2020 through December 29, 2020, in bi-weekly gross pay direct deposits of $9,183.54,” the DOJ wrote in a statement.

Ms. Mosby faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison for each perjury charge. If she’s convicted on the two additional charges of making false mortgage applications, she could face an additional 30 years in federal prison for each count.

“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,” U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron said in a statement.

Ms. Mosby’s attorney couldn’t be reached for comment on her conviction.

Ms. Mosby issued a statement when she was first indicted on those charges last year: “I’m innocent of the charges that have been levied against me, and I intend to fight with every ounce of energy within my being to prove my innocence.”

City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby (C) departs the courthouse in Baltimore on June 23, 2016. Bryan Woolston/Reuters

Soft on Crime

According to prior reporting from The Epoch Times, Ms. Mosby’s record as state’s attorney was criticized as being soft on crime.

After she was elected to office in 2014, Ms. Mosby fired a group of veteran prosecutors, including a 20-year veteran in the middle of an armed robbery trial against a violent repeat offender. Others resigned, including homicide prosecutor Roya Hanna. To fill their places, Ms. Mosby hired young, inexperienced lawyers.

“These prosecutors are young, and they don’t know what they don’t know. There is such a high turnover that they don’t have many old guards around to seek guidance from,” Ms. Hanna told The Epoch Times.

Under Ms. Mosby, the number of homicides increased every year, averaging 333 per year between 2015 and 2021. During Ms. Mosby’s predecessor Gregg Bernstein’s final term, the city had a yearly average of 215 homicides.

Then-Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, notably accused Ms. Mosby of being responsible for the homicide spike.

In 2022, while already facing an indictment on charges of perjury, Ms. Mosby ran for reelection but was defeated by Ivan Bates, a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor.

Ms. Mosby ran her failed reelection campaign on her record of reducing the population behind bars, holding police officers accountable for their actions, and reviewing convictions for potential exoneration.