Roy McGrath, 53, chief of staff to former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, has died just weeks after being declared a fugitive by the FBI.
He died after succumbing to gunshot wounds following an altercation with police late Monday night, his lawyer confirmed.
His death came after FBI agents searched the former GOP employee’s home after he failed to show up for a federal trial on fraud charges over claims he used his high-ranking position to sell more than $230,000 steal government funds.
McGrath had pleaded not guilty to charges of wire fraud and falsifying records in October 2021 and was released on bail but did not appear in court for his trial.
After failing to show himself, McGrath was promptly declared a fugitive, prompting agents to raid his $610,000 Florida home on March 15. The FBI said he was an international flight risk.
Indicted on federal fraud charges in 2021, McGrath served for years as chief of staff to two-year Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, who left office in January after serving eight years for the Old Line state.
Roy McGrath, a chief of staff to former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, has died just weeks after being declared a fugitive by the FBI
McGrath, who was scheduled to appear in Baltimore last month for the start of his criminal case, instead left his attorney alone on the steps of the city’s federal courthouse, prompting US Marshals to release this wanted poster that same day
The US Marshals Service, part of the Justice Department, said last month it had launched an interstate investigation into fugitives and released a “Wanted” poster of McGrath.
Attorney Joseph Murtha said the FBI confirmed Roy McGrath’s death to him.
He added that it wasn’t immediately clear whether McGrath’s wound was self-inflicted or came during a shootout with agents.
“The loss of Roy’s life is an absolute tragedy and I think it’s important to say that Roy never doubted his innocence,” Murtha said.
The FBI had previously said that McGrath, once a top aide to a former Maryland governor, had been hospitalized after a shootout with agents, but declined to elaborate.
Feds swarmed this Naples home McGrath shares with his wife on Wednesday, less than 48 hours after he failed to appear in court. The couple moved into a $610,000 home in 2020 after the scandal surfaced and McGrath was released on bail
“During the arrest, Roy McGrath was injured and taken to the hospital. The FBI takes seriously all shootings involving our agents or task force members,” the FBI said in a statement.
William Brennan, an attorney for McGrath’s wife Laura Bruner, also confirmed the death and said she was “absolutely devastated.”
McGrath, who was indicted in 2021 on federal fraud charges, was for years chief of staff to two-year Maryland Governor Larry Hogan (seen here last year), who left office in January after serving eight years for the Old Line State
McGrath was wounded during an “agent shootout” at around 6:30 p.m. at an industrial park on the southwest outskirts of Knoxville, Tenn.
Hogan, who served as Maryland’s governor from 2015 to 2023, had considered running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination as a critic of Donald Trump. But Hogan announced last month before McGrath’s disappearance that he would not be walking.
Hogan said in a statement that he and his wife, Yumi Hogan, are saddened by the “tragic situation,” the Baltimore Sun reported.
“We pray for Mr. McGrath’s family and loved ones,” Hogan said.
After McGrath failed to show up at the Baltimore federal courthouse on March 13, Murtha said he believes McGrath, who had moved to Naples, Fla., was planning to fly to Maryland the night before.
But instead of beginning jury selection, a judge issued a warrant and released potential jurors.
“I didn’t see that coming,” Murtha said at the time. “This behavior is so unusual for him. Obviously his personal safety is a concern.’
McGrath was indicted in 2021 on allegations that he fraudulently secured a settlement of $233,648, equivalent to a year’s salary, as head of the Maryland Environmental Service by falsely telling the agency’s board it was approved by the governor.
He was also charged with fraud and embezzlement related to around $170,000 in expenses, which prosecutors say the disgraced aide lined his pockets during his tenure as Hogan’s top aide. McGrath pleaded not guilty.
McGrath resigned in 2020, just 11 weeks into his tenure as Hogan’s chief of staff after the payments were released, and was slapped with federal wire fraud charges.
Prosecutors claimed he stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from the state.
The state further alleged that McGrath also fibbed about the hours he worked over the course of his tenure and took several vacations at state expense.
During those outings, McGrath’s 2021 indictment alleges, the ex-Hogan State employee spent certain funds on his own “personal expenses.”
Those spending came to light after a lengthy report from The Baltimore Sun in the summer of 2020, which revealed how McGrath had used his position as director of MES and the governor’s chief of staff to “personally enrich himself” with the fraudulent payments.
If convicted on the federal charges, he faces a maximum of 20 years on each of four counts of wire fraud and a maximum of 10 years on each of two counts of embezzling funds from an organization that receives more than $10,000 in federal benefits been .