Former Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby has been found guilty of one count of mortgage fraud by a jury, following accusations of making false statements on loan applications to purchase two vacation homes in Florida. The verdict was delivered on Tuesday evening after a day of deliberation, as reported by Fox News on February 6, 2024. However, Mosby was acquitted of a second mortgage fraud charge.
Mosby’s legal troubles arose in November when she was convicted of two counts of perjury by a federal jury. These charges stemmed from allegations that she falsely claimed financial hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic to withdraw money from Baltimore’s retirement fund. Despite the convictions, Mosby has not yet been sentenced in either case, but she could face a maximum of five years in prison for each count.
Federal prosecutors launched criminal charges against Mosby, alleging that she used pandemic-related hardship claims to withdraw money from her retirement account, which was then used as down payments on two Florida properties. Prosecutors claimed that Mosby repeatedly made false statements on the mortgage applications. Originally set to occur in Baltimore, Mosby’s mortgage fraud trial was relocated to Greenbelt, Maryland due to concerns over potential juror bias from media coverage.
Throughout the trial, both Mosby and her former husband, Baltimore City Council President Nick Mosby, testified. Nick Mosby admitted to lying about their federal tax debt out of embarrassment. Despite maintaining her innocence and asserting that she did not intentionally make false statements, Mosby’s failure to disclose the debt on the applications led to the mortgage fraud charges.
Prosecutors focused on Mosby’s alleged deception regarding a $5,000 gift from her husband, which she did not disclose on the applications. This gift reportedly aided in securing a lower interest rate. According to The Baltimore Sun, prosecutors traced the gift back to Mosby’s account, a pivotal factor in her conviction.
To secure a conviction for mortgage fraud, prosecutors needed to demonstrate that Mosby knowingly made false statements that impacted the mortgage application process. With the guilty verdict, Mosby faces a maximum prison sentence of 30 years for the single count of mortgage fraud.
Mosby’s conviction signifies a significant downfall for the former state’s attorney, who once held a prominent position in Baltimore City.
