After three weeks on the run, former Maryland governor Larry Hogan’s former assistant Roy McGrath has been found by law enforcement.
According to the Baltimore Banner, it is unclear what led to his detention, but he appears to have been “wounded.”
McGrath’s whereabouts were investigated after he failed to appear in court and a safety check at his Naples, Florida, residence turned up no indication of his wellbeing.
A recording of an FBI agent saying, “We’re concerned that something may have happened,” was acquired by The Baltimore Banner. We are worried that he may have committed suicide, despite the fact that he has no history of aggressive crime.
McGrath’s lawyer, Joseph Murtha, expressed worry and confusion about his client’s whereabouts.
I have no idea. I had no idea this would happen,” Murtha said after his customer vanished. This is so not like him to act like this. Obviously, he is worried about his own protection.
In 2020, McGrath, then 53 years old, quit as Hogan’s chief of staff after allegations surfaced that he had illegally obtained a severance package of $233,648 from his previous position as head of the Maryland Environmental Service.
In response to federal accusations of wire fraud and larceny, McGrath entered a not guilty plea. He faces state charges for allegedly taping high-level government leaders in confidential talks. McGrath faces possible life in jail if he is found guilty.
After Hogan’s election as governor of Maryland in 2014, The Washington Post reported that Hogan called McGrath a “trusted adviser” and said that McGrath was instrumental in helping him create his government.
Hogan, who may be summoned as a witness in the McGrath case, claims that he was not aware of the big severance package McGrath received. Attorney Michael Murtha said that McGrath “firmly stands by the fact that Governor Hogan formally approved of his compensation from Maryland Environmental Service, and sadly turned his back on Mr. McGrath to avoid the political fall out of his decision.”
For intelligence leading to McGrath’s arrest, the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service had each promised $10,000.