(Robert Jonathan, Headline USA) Fugitive ex-Maryland official Roy McGrath has died following an armed encounter in the Knoxville, Tenn., area with FBI agents who were seeking to arrest him on a warrant.
An FBI statement did not make clear whether McGrath shot himself or whether he was shot during a standoff, the Baltimore Sun reported. It instead described the exchange as an “agent-involved shooting.”
McGrath, 53, died at a local hospital on Monday evening.
McGrath, who worked in the administration of former Gov. Larry Hogan, had moved to Florida after his tenure with the RINO governor, who left office in January.
In addition to other positions, McGrath was chief of staff for Gov. Hogan for about three months in 2020.
“Yumi and I are deeply saddened by this tragic situation,” Hogan said in a statement. “We are praying for Mr. McGrath’s family and loved ones.”
McGrath was facing federal charges “stemming from his time running the Maryland Environmental Service, a quasi-governmental state agency that provides services like wastewater management, composting and recycling,” CBS News reported.
“Prosecutors said McGrath fraudulently obtained a severance payment of $233,647 when he left to take the job as Hogan’s chief of staff in 2020, and falsified a document purporting to show the governor had approved of the payment,” it said. “He was also accused of falsifying time sheets while vacationing in Europe and stealing money for tuition for classes at Harvard.”
McGrath had pleaded not guilty to the pending charges.
Law-enforcement agencies had conducted a nationwide manhunt for McGrath after he failed to show up for a March 13 court date in Baltimore federal court.
The U.S. Marshals Service had offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
Police may have located McGrath in a white SUV at a Farragut, Tenn., shopping center, the Baltimore Banner reported.
“I’m incredibly saddened by the loss of Roy’s life and the terrible tragedy that has unfolded over the past three weeks,” said McGrath’s lawyer, Joseph Murtha, in a statement. “Roy was dedicated to the citizens of Maryland and he never wavered in his belief that he was innocent.”
