BALTIMORE — An arrest warrant has been issued for Roy McGrath, the ex-Chief of Staff to former Governor Larry Hogan, who is accused of fraudulently obtaining more than a quarter million dollars in state money and spending it on personal expenses.
McGrath was indicted at the federal and state level back in October of 2021.
On Monday McGrath, who now lives in Florida, no showed his first day of trial at the U.S. District Court in Baltimore, prompting the warrant to be issued.
"At this time I am unaware of why Mr. McGrath failed to appear for court this morning," McGrath's attorney, Joseph Murtha, said in an email to WMAR. "It is my hope that he is safe and that we will soon have an opportunity to speak with one another."
The federal and state indictments mostly center on a lucrative severance package McGrath approved for himself in May of 2020, before resigning from the Environmental Service to go serve as Hogan's Chief of Staff.
Prosecutors say McGrath falsely stated that Hogan was aware of and approved the severance payment, which equated to about one-year's salary.
Hogan denied having knowledge of any such agreement.
When Hogan eventually did find out and questioned the payments, McGrath reportedly lied telling him the Environmental Service's Board of Directors offered the severance package.
RELATED: Former Hogan Chief of Staff accused of fraudulently collecting nearly $277k in state money
The one-time payment wasn't all that McGrath worked out as part of his severance package.
It also included more than $5,000 in tuition reimbursement benefits for McGrath after he'd already left the Environmental Service.
In an attempt to cover up the fact that he was receiving all these perks, court documents show McGrath tried deleting any mention of benefits that were documented in the public minutes of the Environment Service's Board of Directors meetings.
Other allegations suggest McGrath twice falsified time sheets, claiming to be working when actually he was vacationing.
After McGrath resigned as his Chief of Staff in August 2020, Hogan ordered an audit of the Maryland Environmental Service.
MORE: Hogan orders audit of Maryland Environmental Service amid severance pay controversy
If convicted of all federal charges, McGrath faces a maximum combined sentence of 100 years behind bars.
This is a breaking news story that will be updated as more information becomes available.
