Federal prosecutors have filed an additional charge against a former aide to Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan for allegedly falsifying records.
A superseding indictment was announced against Roy McGrath by the U.S. attorney's office on Tuesday in a case that alleges he collected excessive expenses and arranged for an unprecedented $233,647 severance payment.
The Baltimore Sun reports the new federal wire fraud charge against McGrath relates to a memo that outlined the severance payment and included Hogan’s approval but that federal officials say McGrath fabricated.
The U.S. attorney's office says the false memorandum contained a blue check mark that was characteristically used by the governor in the "approved" box, which created the illusion that the governor had seen and approved the memorandum.
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McGrath has pleaded not guilty. Joseph Murtha, his attorney, says McGrath “firmly stands by the fact that Gov. Hogan formally approved of his compensation from Maryland Environmental Service and sadly turned his back on Mr. McGrath to avoid the political fallout of his decision.”
McGrath spent 11 weeks as Hogan’s chief of staff in 2020. He had served as director of MES — a position appointed by Hogan — starting in late 2016.
