Roy McGrath, former chief of staff to Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, has died after a confrontation with the FBI in Knoxville, Tennessee, according to his attorney. The FBI confirmed that McGrath died from injuries sustained during the incident. McGrath was facing charges related to an alleged scheme to defraud Maryland of over $276,000. He was indicted in October 2021 for defrauding $233,647.23 in severance pay from the Maryland Environmental Service, where he served as CEO, and was initially charged with wire fraud and embezzlement. He faced additional charges of falsifying records and violating Maryland’s wiretap law. McGrath pleaded not guilty to all charges and had failed to appear at his scheduled trial in March. The FBI offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to McGrath’s arrest. His attorneys have not provided further details about the circumstances surrounding his death.
(CNN) — Roy McGrath, the former chief of staff to Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, died after a nationwide manhunt ended Monday in a confrontation with the FBI in Knoxville, Tennessee, according to McGrath’s attorney.
“The FBI confirmed that Roy [McGrath] he succumbed to injuries inflicted in the early afternoon. It’s a tragic end to three weeks of uncertainty,” attorney Joseph Murtha told CNN in a statement. “I think it’s important to stress that Roy never doubted his innocence.”
Prosecutors charged Roy McGrath, pictured in April 2020, with charging excessive expenses while in office, for illegally crafting a $233,647 severance package from the Maryland Environmental Service when he left the organization. (Credit: Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Sun/TNS/Getty Images)
William Brennan, an attorney for McGrath’s wife, also confirmed that McGrath died at a Tennessee hospital after “a confrontation with the FBI” and told CNN that his client was “absolutely distraught.”
Neither attorney was able to provide additional details about the circumstances surrounding McGrath’s death.
The FBI said in a statement early Monday that it was “reviewing an agent-involved shooting that occurred at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Monday, April 3, 2023. During the arrest, subject Roy McGrath, was injured and was taken to the hospital.”
The FBI, according to the statement, “takes all shooting incidents involving our agents or task force members very seriously. In accordance with FBI policy, the shooting incident is being investigated by the FBI.” FBI Inspection Division”.
The office did not provide additional details about the arrest.
CNN previously reported that McGrath, who served as a senior adviser to Hogan, a Republican, for a few months during the summer of 2020, faced charges related to an alleged scheme to defraud Maryland of more than $276,000. McGrath pleaded not guilty to all charges and was released on bond, the US Marshals Service said in a statement last month.
A warrant for his arrest was issued in March after he failed to appear at his scheduled trial in Baltimore.
McGrath was indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2021 for defrauding $233,647.23 in severance pay from the Maryland Environmental Service (MES), a state-owned company where he served as CEO. before joining Hogan’s office, “falsely telling them that the governor was aware of the payment and had approved it,” according to the Justice Department.
The indictment also alleged that McGrath directed MES funds to an art museum of which he was a member of the board of directors to avoid paying out-of-pocket for a commitment, defrauded MES to pay a tuition fee of more than $14,000, and misrepresented attendance sheets during two vacations.
McGrath was initially charged with wire fraud and embezzlement from an organization receiving more than $10,000 in federal benefits, and a superseding indictment filed in June 2022 also charged him with falsifying records. At the state level, he faced charges of felony theft and a violation of the state’s wiretap law, the Justice Department said.
The FBI had offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to McGrath’s arrest.
— CNN’s Shawna Mizelle contributed to this report.
The death of Roy McGrath, the former chief of staff to Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, marks a tragic end to a nationwide manhunt that lasted for weeks. McGrath faced legal charges related to an alleged scheme to defraud Maryland of more than $276,000. His attorney confirmed that McGrath died after a confrontation with the FBI in Knoxville, Tennessee, stating that his client never doubted his innocence. While the FBI is investigating the incident, additional details surrounding his arrest and death remain unclear. McGrath’s indictment and subsequent arrest highlight the importance of holding those in positions of power accountable for their actions.