Former Baltimore prosecutor Marilyn Mosby found guilty of 1 count of mortgage fraud
Former Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby has been convicted of one count of mortgage fraud, after testifying that she unintentionally made false statements on loan applications to buy two Florida vacation homes.
The Associated Press reported that the split verdict was announced Tuesday evening after jury members deliberated for most of the day, finding Mosby not guilty on a second mortgage fraud charge.
In November, Mosby was convicted of two counts of perjury by a federal jury after she falsely claimed financial hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic in order to withdraw money from the city’s retirement fund.
She has not been sentenced in either case and faces up to five years for each count.
Federal prosecutors filed criminal charges against Mosby after allegations that she claimed a pandemic-related hardship to pull money from her retirement account then used the money as down payments on two Florida properties.
Prosecutors claimed she repeatedly lied on the mortgage applications.
While Mosby’s mortgage fraud trial was slated to take place in Baltimore, it was ultimately moved to Greenbelt, Maryland because of concerns potential jurors may be biased by media coverage of the case.
Once the trial started, both Mosby and her ex-husband, Baltimore City Council President Nick Mosby, provided testimony, with the latter saying he lied about their federal tax debt because he was embarrassed.
Marilyn Mosby told the courts she did not make any false statements intentionally and signed the loan applications in good faith.
But it was her failure to disclose the debt on her applications that contributed to the mortgage fraud charges.
Prosecutors alleged during the trial that Mosby lied about getting a $5,000 gift from her husband at the time, which helped her get a lower interest rate.
The gift is what led to the conviction, the Baltimore Sun reported, as prosecutors traced it back to her account.
Prosecutors had to prove Mosby knowingly made a false statement that affected the mortgage application process, in order to get a conviction.
Having been found guilty of mortgage fraud, Mosby now faces a maximum prison sentence of 30 years for the single count.
Mosby gained a national profile for prosecuting Baltimore police officers after Freddie Gray, a Black man, died in police custody.
