Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s former chief of staff has been on the run from the law since failing to appear in court on March 13 on wire fraud and embezzlement charges.
On Monday, federal authorities offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Roy McGrath, with the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service each kicking in $10,000.
The former Hogan staffer, who resigned after reports of his alleged crimes surfaced, has been accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars while working for a state agency.
“McGrath faces an eight-count federal indictment,” Fox News reported. “The charges include wire fraud, including securing a $233,648 severance payment equal to one year of salary as the head of the Maryland Environmental Service. He also faces fraud and embezzlement charges connected to roughly $170,000 in expenses. McGrath has pleaded not guilty.”
“According to federal and state prosecutors, McGrath personally enriched himself by taking advantage of his positions of trust as the environmental agency’s director and Hogan’s top aide,” the network added. “He got the agency’s board to approve paying him the severance payment upon his departure as executive director by falsely telling them the governor had already approved the payment, prosecutors say.”
McGrath has ties to Naples, Florida, according to the FBI, and his aliases include Roy Baisliadou, Roy Mak-Grath, and RC Mak-Grath.
Joseph Murtha, McGrath’s attorney, previously told The Associated Press that he was caught off guard by his client skedaddling.
“I haven’t a clue. I didn’t see this coming,” Murtha said. “This behavior is so out of the ordinary for him. Obviously his personal safety is a concern.”
Hogan, who announced earlier this month that he would not be running for president in the Republican primary, said at the time of McGrath’s resignation, “I understand and respect his reasons for making this decision. I have always known Roy to be someone of the highest character, and I wish him well in his future endeavors.”
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Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
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