Roy McGrath failed to appear for a hearing on corruption charges two weeks ago and federal authorities have offered a reward of up to $20,000 during the manhunt (Image: AP)
McGrath, former chief of staff to former Maryland governor Hogan, died when the FBI confronted him during a search after he failed to appear for trial on corruption charges.
The one-time chief of staff for former Maryland governor Larry Hogan was shot dead Monday after FBI agents confronted him in a search launched after he failed to appear for trial on corruption charges Was, his lawyer said.
Attorney Joseph Murtha said the FBI has confirmed Roy McGrath’s death. He said it was not immediately clear whether McGrath’s wound was self-inflicted or came during a shootout with agents.
William Brennan, the attorney for McGraw’s wife Laura Bruner, also confirmed the death and said she was “absolutely distraught”.
According to an earlier email from FBI Supervisory Special Agent Shayne Buchwald in Maryland, McGrath was wounded during “an agent-involved shooting” at approximately 6:30 p.m. in a commercial area on the southwest outskirts of Knoxville, Tennessee. Buchwald said McGrath was taken to the hospital but did not elaborate.
Other details, including how McGrath was injured and what caused it, were not immediately released. The firing was being investigated.
“The FBI takes very seriously all shooting incidents involving our agents or task force members,” Buchwald said.
McGrath, 53, was declared a wanted fugitive after his disappearance, and the FBI said he was considered an international flight risk.
Hogan said in a statement that he and his wife, Yumi, “are deeply saddened by this tragic situation. We are praying for Mr. McGrath’s family and loved ones.”
Murtha called the death “a sad end to the last three weeks of uncertainty” and said his client had always maintained his innocence.
After McGrath failed to appear at the federal courthouse in Baltimore on March 13, Murtha said he believed McGrath, who had moved to Naples, Florida, was planning to drive to Maryland the night before. Instead of initiating jury selection, a judge issued an arrest warrant and dismissed prospective jurors.
McGrath was indicted in 2021 on allegations that he received severance pay of $233,648, the equivalent of one year’s salary as head of the Maryland Environmental Service, by falsely telling the agency’s board that the governor had approved it. He was also charged with fraud and embezzlement involving approximately $170,000 in expenses. McGrath did not plead guilty.
McGrath resigned just 11 weeks into the job as Hogan’s chief of staff in 2020 after the payments became public.
If convicted of federal charges, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years for each of four counts of fraud from an organization that received more than $10,000 in federal benefits, as well as two counts of embezzlement He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years for each. ,
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)
