Roy McGrath, 53, the former chief of staff to ex-Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, was killed in an “agent-involved shooting” in Tennessee. He became a fugitive after failing to appear at a trial last month.
McGrath was being tried on wire fraud and embezzlement charges, among a host of other serious crimes, according to CBS News.
“The FBI has confirmed that Roy succumbed to the injuries inflicted earlier this evening,” McGrath’s attorney, Joseph Murtha, said in a statement. “It is a tragic ending to the past three weeks of uncertainty. It is important for me to stress that Roy never wavered about his innocence.”
The FBI encountered McGrath in a car in Knoxville on Thursday evening. During the attempt to arrest him, an undisclosed incident occurred that resulted in McGrath being shot.
It is not clear if the injury was self-inflicted or a direct result of the standoff with agents, but sources previously indicated to The Baltimore Sun that McGrath’s wound was self-inflicted.
He was transported to the hospital but later succumbed to his injuries.
The End of a Manhunt
Federal agents had been searching for McGrath since March 13th, when he failed to appear in federal court in Baltimore, Maryland.
The charges stemmed from his time leading the Maryland Environmental Service, a quasi-governmental state agency that provides services like wastewater management, composting and recycling.
Prosecutors alleged he fraudulently ensured a $233,647 severance when he left to take the position as Hogan’s chief of staff in 2020. He allegedly also falsified a document showing the governor approved of the severance payment. He was also accused of falsifying time sheets while on vacation in Europe and stealing money to pay tuition at Harvard.
Hogan had reportedly been supportive of the FBI’s investigation.
McGrath pleaded not guilty in October 2021 when he was initially indicted. He faced over 100 years in prison on all counts.
The incident is still under investigation.
