The former chief of staff to former Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is "wanted" by the U.S. Marshals Service after a warrant was issued for his arrest following his failure to appear in court on federal corruption charges Tuesday.
The U.S. Marshals Service released a wanted poster for Roy McGrath on Tuesday after the warrant was issued by U.S. District Court Judge Deborah Boardman, who sent the jury home after McGrath's failure to appear.
"Let's hope he's safe and there's some mix-up," Boardman said at the time, according to the outlet Maryland Matters.
According to a report by The Washington Post, law enforcement searched McGrath's Florida home and found no sign of him.
McGrath faces an eight-count federal indictment, which includes wire fraud charges that relate to him securing a $233,648 severance payment equal to one year of salary as the head of Maryland Environmental Service.
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McGrath, who has pleaded not guilty, also faces fraud and embezzlement charges connected to roughly $170,000 in expenses. He resigned from Hogan's office a few months after the six-figure payment was reported.
A final charge involves allegations that he falsified a memo that purports to show Hogan was informed of McGrath’s severance arrangement and signed off on the deal.
Hogan, who served as the governor of Maryland from 2015 to 2023, has repeatedly denied knowing or approving of a severance payment negotiated by McGrath with a quasi-government agency before McGrath briefly became the two-term governor’s top aide.
McGrath gave up his passport in October 2021 as part of the terms for his pretrial release, and was also reportedly required to undergo medical or psychiatric treatment, which was later stricken from the terms.
McGrath's attorney, Joseph Murtha, said Monday he had made attempts to contact his client and his wife.
"I looked forward to seeing him at 8:45 this morning," Murtha said on the day of McGrath's scheduled appearance. "Most importantly, I'm concerned. I'm hoping he's safe. These situations are very stressful, the uncertainty of going to trial can cause people to do things many people don't think are appropriate. We hope that he's safe."
Fox News' Kyle Morris and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
