Aide to former Maryland governor killed as FBI closed in for arrest

[April 04, 2023]  (Reuters) - A fugitive and former top aide to former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan was killed in Tennessee after a confrontation with the FBI, the Washington Post reported, citing the former aide's lawyer. 

Roy McGrath, 53, who in 2020 was appointed chief of staff to the Republican former governor, was wanted for failing to appear in court last month on fraud charges.

Roy McGrath, the former top aide to an ex Maryland Governor, is seen in this U.S. Marshals Service wanted poster released on March 14, 2023 after McGrath failed to appear in court where he is charged with wire fraud and falsification. U.S. Marshals Service/Handout via REUTERS

McGrath had pleaded not guilty to charges of wire fraud and falsification of records in October 2021 and was released on bond, but he did not appear in court for his trial.

The U.S. Marshals Service, part of the Justice Department, said last month it had initiated an interstate fugitive investigation and published a "Wanted" poster of McGrath.

"The loss of Roy's life is an absolute tragedy, and I think it's important for me to say that Roy never wavered about his innocence," attorney Joseph Murtha said, according to the Post report.

The exact circumstances of Roy's death remained unclear. The Baltimore Sun said he was shot but it was uncertain whether it was self-inflicted or by the FBI.

The FBI said in a statement it was reviewing an agent-involved shooting, the Post reported.

"During the arrest the subject, Roy McGrath, sustained injury and was transported to the hospital. The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents or task force members seriously," the FBI statement said.

McGrath died in the hospital, the Baltimore Sun reported, citing William Brennan, an attorney for McGrath's wife.

Hogan, who served as Maryland's governor from 2015 to 2023, had considered running for the 2024 Republican nomination for president as a critic of Donald Trump. But Hogan announced last month before McGrath went missing that he would not run.

Hogan said in a statement he and his wife, Yumi Hogan, were saddened by the "tragic situation," the Baltimore Sun reported.

"We are praying for Mr. McGrath's family and loved ones," Hogan said.

(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Edmund Klamann)

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