Roy McGrath, who was a top aide to former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) died Monday in a standoff with law enforcement after a three-week manhunt.
McGrath had been on the run for 21 days after failing to appear at his March 13 trial on fraud and embezzlement charges in Baltimore District Court.
A lawyer for his family said McGrath died after federal agents tried to arrest him Monday night. It is unclear whether he died of a self-inflicted wound or in a shootout with federal agents.
“The loss of Roy’s life is an absolute tragedy, and I think it’s important for me to say that Roy has never wavered in his innocence,” Joseph Murtha, McGrath’s wife’s attorney, told the Washington Post.
The FBI said Monday that McGrath was injured during an “agent-involved shooting” near Knoxville, Tennessee. He was taken to hospital but died from his injuries.
Authorities have not yet detailed the events leading up to the collision.
McGrath was indicted in 2021 on a number of fraud charges. In one case, prosecutors accused McGrath of defrauding the Maryland Environmental Service out of a severance package of more than $233,000 before leaving to work for Hogan.
He had served as the governor’s chief of staff for just three months when the Baltimore Sun reported on the severance package, revelations that led to legislative hearings and McGrath’s resignation. McGrath said the governor approved the severance agreement, but Hogan denied knowledge of it and cooperated with investigators. The former governor was on the list of prosecution witnesses for the trial.
Hogan released a statement through his spokesman on Monday, saying he was “deeply saddened by this tragic situation.”
“We are praying for Mr. McGrath’s family and loved ones,” the former governor said.
Had he been convicted, McGrath would have faced decades in prison.
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