Former Baltimore City prosecutor Marilyn Mosby has been convicted on one count of mortgage fraud in a split verdict, following a lengthy criminal trial. The jury deliberated for most of the day before announcing their decision on Tuesday evening. Mosby was found not guilty on a second mortgage fraud charge. This conviction comes after she was previously convicted on two counts of perjury in a separate trial held in November. Sentencing has not yet been determined for either case.
The federal charges against Mosby stemmed from allegations that she claimed a pandemic-related hardship to withdraw funds from her retirement account, which she then used as down payments on two vacation homes in Florida. Prosecutors argued that she repeatedly made false statements on the mortgage applications. Mosby, who served two terms as Baltimore’s state’s attorney, gained national attention for her progressive policies and high-profile decisions, including bringing charges against the police officers involved in the 2015 death of Freddie Gray, which sparked widespread protests against police brutality. However, none of the officers were convicted.
Mosby’s mortgage fraud trial was moved from Baltimore to Greenbelt, Maryland, due to concerns about potential juror bias resulting from extensive media coverage. The trial featured emotional testimony from both Mosby and her ex-husband, Baltimore City Council President Nick Mosby, who admitted to lying about their outstanding federal tax debt out of embarrassment. Marilyn Mosby maintained that she did not intentionally make false statements and signed the loan applications in good faith, trusting real estate professionals and her husband during a stressful period. However, her failure to disclose the tax debt on the applications contributed to the mortgage fraud charges.
Prosecutors also alleged that Mosby lied about receiving a $5,000 gift from her then-husband, which allowed her to secure a lower interest rate. The discovery that the purported gift originated from her own account led to her conviction. To secure a conviction, prosecutors had to prove that Mosby knowingly made a false statement that affected the mortgage application process.
Once a prominent political couple in Baltimore, the Mosbys met in college and have two daughters together. They finalized their divorce in November. In the perjury case, a different jury found that Mosby had lied about suffering financial losses to withdraw money from her retirement account. Initially, her defense team claimed that the prosecution was politically or racially motivated, but a judge later dismissed those assertions.
During her tenure as state’s attorney, Mosby received national recognition for her policies, including a decision to stop prosecuting certain low-level crimes. However, her successor has since reversed that practice. The conviction in the mortgage fraud case marks a significant downfall for Mosby, who was once considered a rising star in Baltimore’s political landscape.
