Roy McGrath, former chief of staff to ex-Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, was charged with wire fraud, theft in programs receiving federal funds and falsification of records in federal investigations. Manhunt underway for ex-Maryland governor's chief of staff:
FILE: Prosecutors have accused Roy McGrath of collecting excessive expenses while in office, for illegally engineering a $233,647 severance payment from the Maryland Environmental Service when he left the organization to be Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan's chief of staff and for fabricating a memo from Hogan's office that showed the governor's approval of the payment.
The U.S. Marshals Service launched an interstate fugitive search after a federal judge issued a warrant for McGrath's arrest. McGrath's face is plastered on a U.S. Marshals poster, which highlights charges against him for wire fraud, theft in programs receiving federal funds and falsification of records in federal investigations.A law enforcement source tells CBS News that McGrath's family was at his home in Florida when FBI visited the house Tuesday morning.
The prospective jurors for McGrath's fraud trial have been sent home; no jury was selected. The Justice Department expects McGrath's trial will have to be re-scheduled, and a new jury pool will likely be needed. If McGrath is captured, the Justice Department is likely to seek pretrial detention, due to his obvious status as a"flight risk," a law enforcement official said.
McGrath, 53, has been living in Naples, Florida, and was supposed to travel to Maryland for the trial, according to court records. It's possible Hogan could testify in the trial. He was Maryland's governor from 2015 until earlier this year; he has denied knowing about or approving McGrath's severance payment.
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