Marilyn Mosby, Former Baltimore Top Attorney, Guilty Of Perjury

GREENBELT, MD — Marilyn Mosby, the former Baltimore City state's attorney who prosecutors said lied about experiencing financial difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic to gain early access to retirement funds, was found guilty of two counts of perjury Thursday, according to multiple reports.

Jurors deliberated for about seven hours before convicting Mosby, who used the money to buy two vacation homes in Florida, the Baltimore Banner reported.

Mosby could face a maximum sentence of five years in prison, according to the Banner.

Mosby served two terms as state's attorney for Baltimore. A federal grand jury indicted her on perjury charges before a Democratic primary challenger defeated her last year.

In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, Mosby withdrew $90,000 from Baltimore City's deferred compensation plan. She received her full salary for the year, or about $250,000.

Mosby's indictment accused her of improperly accessing retirement funds by falsely claiming that the pandemic harmed a travel-oriented business that she had formed. She used the withdrawals as down payments to buy a home in Kissimmee, Florida, and a condominium in Long Boat Key, Florida.

Prosecutors argued that Mosby wasn't entitled to access the funds under provisions of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. They said her business, Mahogany Elite Enterprises, had no clients or revenue and didn't sustain any "adverse financial consequences" from the pandemic.

"This case is about a lawyer and a public servant who placed her own selfish interests above the truth," Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Delaney told jurors on Monday during the trial's opening statements.

When the verdict was announced, Mosby did not visibly react as jurors were individually polled, reports said.

"I'm blessed," Mosby told the Baltimore Sun as she left the courthouse. "I have nothing more to say."

Mosby also faces separate charges of mortgage fraud. A trial date for those charges hasn't been set.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.