Roy McGrath, 53, chief of staff to former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, has died — just weeks after the FBI declared him a fugitive.
His lawyer confirmed he died after succumbing to gunshot wounds following a confrontation with police late Monday night.
His death came after FBI agents raided the home of a former Republican staffer after he failed to appear in a federal fraud trial over allegations he used his high position to steal more than $230,000 in state funds.
McGrath pleaded not guilty to the charges of fraud and falsifying records in October 2021 and was released on bail, but did not appear in court for his trial.
After failing to turn it up, McGrath was immediately declared a fugitive, prompting agents to break into his $610,000 Florida home on March 15.
Indicted in 2021 on federal fraud charges, McGrath served for years as chief of staff to two-term Maryland governor Larry Hogan, who left office last January after eight years serving the old line state.
Roy McGrath, chief of staff to former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, has died — just weeks after the FBI declared him a fugitive.
Set to appear in Baltimore for the start of his criminal trial last month, McGrath left his lawyer standing alone on the steps of the city’s federal courthouse, prompting the US Marshals to release that wanted poster later that day.
The US Marshals Service, part of the Justice Department, said last month it had launched an interstate investigation into the fugitives and released a “wanted” poster of McGrath.
Attorney Joseph Murtha said the FBI had confirmed to him Roy McGrath’s death.
He added that it was not immediately clear whether McGrath’s wound was self-inflicted or came during a shootout with agents.
“The loss of Roy’s life is an absolute tragedy,” Murtha said, “and I think it’s important for me to say that Roy has never wavered about his innocence.”
The FBI had previously said that McGrath, once a top aide to the former Maryland governor, was hospitalized after shooting an agent, but declined to elaborate.
Feds swarmed the Neapolitan home McGrath shared with his wife on Wednesday, less than 48 hours after he failed to appear in court. The couple moved into a $610,000 home in 2020, after the scandal surfaced and McGrath was released on bond.
During his arrest, Roy McGrath was injured and taken to hospital. The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our clients or staff members seriously.
William Brennan, attorney for McGrath’s wife, Laura Bruner, confirmed the death and said she was “completely distraught”.
Indicted in 2021 on federal fraud charges, McGrath served for years as chief of staff to two-term Maryland Governor Larry Hogan (seen here last year), who left office in January after eight years serving the old line state.
According to an earlier email from FBI Supervision Special Agent Shane Buchwald in Maryland, McGrath was wounded during an “agent-involved shooting” around 6:30 p.m. in a business district in the southwestern suburbs of Knoxville, Tennessee.
Hogan, who served as Maryland’s governor from 2015 to 2023, had considered running for the 2024 Republican nomination for president as a critic of Donald Trump. But Hogan announced last month before McGrath disappeared that he would not run.
Hogan said in a statement that he and his wife, Yumi Hogan, are grieving over the “tragic situation.” The Baltimore Sun mentioned.
“We pray for Mr. McGrath’s family and loved ones,” Hogan said.
After McGrath failed to appear in federal court in Baltimore on March 13, Murtha said he believed McGrath, who had moved to Naples, Florida, was planning to travel to Maryland the night before.
But instead of initiating jury selection, the judge issued a warrant for the arrest and dismissal of the prospective jurors.
“I didn’t expect that to happen,” Murtha said at the time. This behavior is out of the ordinary for him. His personal safety is clearly a concern.
McGrath was indicted in 2021 over accusations that he fraudulently obtained $233,648 in severance pay, the equivalent of one year’s salary as head of environmental services in Maryland, by falsely telling the agency’s board that it was approved by the governor.
He was also charged with fraud and embezzlement in connection with an estimated $170,000 in expenses that prosecutors say the disgraced aide pocketed during his tenure as Hogan’s top aide. McGrath pleaded not guilty.
McGrath resigned after only 11 weeks as Hogan’s chief of staff in 2020 after the payments became public and he was charged with federal wire fraud.
Prosecutors alleged that he stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from the state.
The state further alleged how McGrath was also deceiving about the hours he worked during his tenure Several leaves on state cents.
During those trips, McGrath’s 2021 indictment alleged, the former Hogan employee spent money intended for the state of Maryland on his “personal expenses.”
This spending came to light after a sprawling report from The Baltimore Sun in the summer of 2020, which revealed how McGrath exposed He used his position as director of MES and chief of staff to the governor to “enrich himself personally” with fraudulent payments.
If convicted of the federal charges, he would have faced a maximum sentence of 20 years for each of four counts of wire fraud, plus a maximum of 10 years for each of the two counts of misappropriation of funds from an organization receiving more than $10,000 in federal benefits.
