Disgraced former Baltimore District Attorney Marilyn Mosby sobbed in court Tuesday as she was convicted of mortgage fraud — a verdict that could carry decades in prison.
The Democrat served in office from 2015 until she lost her 2022 reelection bid after being indicted on perjury and mortgage fraud charges related to the withdrawal of funds from the city’s Deferred Compensation Plan.
Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby speaks before supporters and campaign workers at Melba’s Place on primary election night in Baltimore on July 19, 2022. (Vincent Alban/The Baltimore Sun via AP)
Prosecutors believe that in May 2020, Mosby took advantage of the CARES Act — the first coronavirus relief bill — by seeking a $40,000 withdrawal from her city retirement account, reported the Baltimore Sun.
Though she blamed the withdrawal on financial setbacks supposedly suffered due to the pandemic, Mosby’s salary had actually increased by $10,000 to a total of $248,000 that year, according to the local publication.
According to her indictment, Mosby received $36,000 from the retirement compensation account, then put it towards purchasing a rental property in the Orlando, Florida, area.
“But prosecutors say in purchasing that property, she lied about having a federal tax lien and falsely said the property was a second home, which lowered the interest rate,” the Sun reported.
Mosby, 44, was indicted on both the perjury and mortgage fraud charges in January 2022, and was found guilty of the perjury in November 2023.
Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby announces that criminal charges will be filed against Baltimore police officers in the death of Freddie Gray on May 1, 2015, in Baltimore, Maryland. (Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
On Tuesday, the former top prosecutor was found guilty on one count of mortgage fraud for lying on financial documents regarding the luxury condo she bought on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
“She began crying as jurors began by clearing her of a similar charge, lying on an application form to get a mortgage on a second property in Kissimmee, Florida,” the Daily Mail reported.
Mosby faces up to 30 years in prison for the fraud and another 10 for the perjury convictions, though sentencing has yet to be scheduled.
The progressive district attorney’s soft-on-crime policies were largely blamed for the soaring crime in Baltimore, especially after she announced the move to stop prosecuting certain low-level crimes like prostitution, drug possession, and minor traffic offenses in 2021.
Mosby claimed that she was gifted $5,000 by her then-husband to take out a $428,400 loan on the Gulf Coast property in order to get a lower interest rate, but prosecutors brought evidence that showed she transferred the funds to him and then sent the money back to herself.
Mosby’s ex-husband is Baltimore City Council President Nick Mosby, who she filed for divorce from in July 2023. Nick Mosby was not charged, and remains in office despite admitting that he “made mistakes” and was not a “perfect person” following his ex-wife’s conviction.
When reporters asked if he was expecting to face charges, the city council leader claimed he was not fearful of that happening because he’d been completely transparent.
The convicted Mosby also “did not disclose that she owed $45,000 in federal taxes and lied that she was a first-time homebuyer to secure more favorable interest rates,” according to the Daily Mail.
The jurors announced a split verdict, in which they found her to be not guilty on a second mortgage fraud charge relating to the Kissimmee property.