Former Baltimore state’s attorney Marilyn Mosby is facing sentencing this week for lying about her personal finances to access retirement funds during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sentencing is set to open on Thursday at a federal courthouse in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Mosby, who gained national attention for charging six Baltimore police officers in the 2015 death of Freddie Gray, withdrew $90,000 from Baltimore city’s deferred compensation plan in 2020. She used the money to make down payments on vacation homes in Florida, sparking controversy and legal action.
Prosecutors argued that Mosby falsely claimed the pandemic had harmed her travel-oriented side business to access the funds under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. Mosby’s lawyers, however, maintained that she was legally entitled to withdraw the money and spend it as she pleased.
Federal prosecutors have recommended a 20-month prison sentence for Mosby, who served two terms as Baltimore’s state’s attorney. Despite losing a reelection bid after her 2022 indictment, Mosby’s attorneys are urging the judge to spare her from prison, citing no victim, financial loss, or use of public funds in her offenses.
Mosby has applied for a presidential pardon and received support from the Congressional Black Caucus. The trials were moved from Baltimore to Greenbelt due to concerns about a fair trial after years of negative media coverage in Baltimore. The outcome of Mosby’s sentencing will be closely watched as she faces the consequences of her actions.