(StraightNews.org) – A former Baltimore State’s Attorney has been convicted of mortgage fraud. Marilyn Mosby said she unintentionally made false statements on loan applications to buy two houses in Florida. The jury returned a split verdict and found her not guilty on a second fraud charge. However, the federal jury convicted Mosby on two counts of perjury after she falsely claimed financial hardship during the coronavirus pandemic to draw money from Baltimore’s retirement fund.
Prosecutors filed charges after Mosby used the retirement fund money as down payments on two Florida homes. Lawyers said she repeatedly lied on the mortgage applications, failed to mention her debts, and lied about a $5,000 gift from her husband, that helped her get a better interest rate. The Baltimore Sun reported that the gift was Mosby’s smoking gun, as jurors saw evidence tracing the money back to her own account.
Mosby, who is married to Baltimore City Council President Nick Mosby, gained a national profile when she charged police officers with various offenses following the death of Freddie Gray in police custody. Gray, a black man, died from injuries sustained in a police vehicle. Three of the six officers were acquitted in 2016, and charges were dropped against three others.
Rioting and disorder followed, and Mosby faced calls to resign for her handling of the trials. She responded to those calls emphatically, saying she would “never” stand down.
Matthew Crenson, a Johns Hopkins University political science professor, said of her career, “I think she still has a future, but it’s not as bright.”
Mosby, a Democrat, was elected as Baltimore’s top prosecutor in 2015 and remained in post until last year. She had drawn $90,000 from city funds and used the money to buy a condo in Longboat Key, Florida, and a house in Kissimmee. No charges were filed against her husband, who remains in office on the Baltimore City Council. Mrs. Mosby faces a potentially lengthy prison term, though legal experts say she is unlikely to receive the maximum.
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