Former Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby has been found guilty on two counts of perjury.
Jurors reached their verdict following a little less than a day of deliberations Thursday, as closing arguments wrapped up late Wednesday at the federal courthouse in Greenbelt.
Mosby was accused of lying about experiencing financial hardship due to the COVID 19 pandemic, after which she withdrew funds from her city retirement account to purchase two properties in Florida. She withdrew a total of $90,000 from her retirement account under the CARES Act. The first withdrawal took place in May 2020, and the second in December of that year.
Mosby was convicted of two charges, with each carrying a maximum penalty of five years in prison, so the maximum penalty she faces is 10 years. It’s unlikely she’ll serve that much time, however.
Mosby didn’t speak to reporters after the verdict was announced, except for a brief “I’m blessed,” as she was whisked into a car by her defense team and supporters. Prosecutors did not talk to the press either.
U.S. Attorney Erek Barron put out a statement afterwards. “We respect the jury’s verdict and remain steadfastly committed to our mission to uphold the rule of law, keep our country safe, protect the civil rights of all Americans, and safeguard public property.”
During closing arguments, Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Zelinsky, told jurors the funds Mosby withdrew did not belong to her. He said the $90,000 belonged to her employer, and was being held in a trust until she either quit, died or had some sort of emergency. Zelinsky repeated in his arguments that investing in real estate does not count as an adverse financial consequence, especially when so many people at the time — including city employees — were unable to work because of the virus.
Public defender, James Wyda, told the jury in his closing argument that Mosby needed to have a stable financial life, since her time in office was coming to an end. Wyda told jurors that an April 2019 trip to Jamaica, inspired Mosby to create Mahogany Elite Enterprises, a travel and consulting agency that would provide retreats for successful Black women.
“The idea was to monetize the experience that we felt," said Shelonda Stokes, president of the Downtown Partnership. The defense called Stokes who accompanied Mosby on the trip to testify. Stokes told jurors it was the best excursion in her life. "It was transformative. It was for women like us who needed a mental break, who needed professional coaching and executive training.”
The defense claimed that when the pandemic hit, Mosby like other business owners had to pivot. According to Wyda, she reasonably believed she qualified for those withdrawals under the CARES Act.
In a separate pending federal case, Mosby also faces two counts of making false mortgage applications, relating to the purchases of those two Florida homes. A trial date for that has not been set.
