Fraud trial of Hogan’s former chief of staff is delayed – Maryland Matters

A federal trial involving Gov. Larry Hogan’s former chief of employees, Roy McGrath, has been delay, maybe till subsequent yr.

McGrath is accused of mendacity to high officers on the Maryland Environmental Service (MES) to win a $233,647 “severance” fee. He served as CEO of the quasi-governmental company previous to accepting Hogan’s 2020 provide to affix the administration.

He faces each state and federal expenses and was scheduled to go on trial in U.S. District Court docket in Baltimore on Monday.

McGrath faces a most sentence of 20 years in federal jail for every of 5 counts of wire fraud; a most of 10 years in federal jail for every of two counts of embezzling funds from a corporation receiving greater than $10,000 in federal advantages; and a most of 20 years in federal jail for the cost of falsifying a doc.

His lawyer, Joseph Murtha, argued in a written pleading that federal prosecutors made hundreds of pages of potential proof obtainable for overview solely in the previous few days, making it inconceivable for him to be prepared for trial.

Prosecutors stated they sought to maintain the trial on schedule. In a written temporary, they stated they supplied the fabric — MES paperwork, textual content messages and emails, largely — as rapidly as they may. They denied any suggestion that they’ve been “delinquent” of their efforts.

They stated the vast majority of the paperwork already had been disclosed to the protection. “The federal government undertook its personal survey of the 6,636 pages yesterday and excluded attachments, scheduling emails, and duplicate emails and decided that there have been 323 pages of latest, substantive emails,” prosecutors wrote within the temporary. .

Lots of the paperwork solely grew to become obtainable on Sept. 26, they wrote, after former MES deputy director Beth Wojton agreed to have her cellphone searched. “Like all textual content messages, they’re brief, simple to learn and are sorted by the MES worker,” prosecutors instructed the court docket.

A longtime MES worker, Wojton was handed over for the highest job when the company’s board chosen McGrath. When the legislature carried out a collection of high-profile hearings into McGrath’s lavish severance, she was one thing of a star witness. The company’s board instructed lawmakers they’d qualms in regards to the payout however have been leery of crossing the favored Hogan if — as McGrath insisted — the governor “anticipated” it.

McGrath’s lawyer and authorities prosecutors met by way of teleconference on Thursday, with Decide Deborah Boardman granting the protection movement to delay the trial. She didn’t set a brand new date. The brand new date will in all probability be some months off, per a supply conversant in the case.

The federal government is predicted to name Hogan as a witness.

McGrath alleges that the governor accredited his request for a yr’s severance when he moved from MES to the administration, however Hogan has vigorously denied that declare. A memo to Hogan outlining the severance bundle, which McGrath claims accommodates a blue check-mark from the governor, is predicted to be a key piece of proof. A Hogan spokesman has known as the doc a forgery.

McGrath, who’s now residing in Florida, additionally obtained roughly $55,000 in work-related bills when he left MES.

He lasted solely 4 weeks as Hogan’s chief of employees. He resigned inside days of a Baltimore Solar report on his severance.

State expenses that McGrath additionally faces embody misconduct in workplace, misappropriation and theft of funds. His trial in state court docket is predicted to comply with the federal trial.