Former Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby has been convicted of mortgage fraud after testifying that she unintentionally made false statements on loan applications to purchase two vacation homes in Florida.
The verdict, delivered Tuesday evening after a day of deliberation, found Mosby guilty of one count of mortgage fraud while acquitting her of a second charge. This comes after Mosby was previously convicted of two counts of perjury for falsely claiming financial hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic to withdraw money from Baltimore’s retirement fund. Sentencing for both cases is pending, with each count carrying a potential sentence of up to five years.
Federal prosecutors pursued criminal charges against Mosby following allegations that she used pandemic-related hardship claims to access funds from her retirement account, which were then used as down payments on two Florida properties. Prosecutors asserted that Mosby knowingly made false statements on mortgage applications.
Originally scheduled to take place in Baltimore, Mosby’s mortgage fraud trial was relocated to Greenbelt, Maryland, due to concerns about potential jury bias resulting from media coverage.
During the trial, both Mosby and her ex-husband, Baltimore City Council President Nick Mosby, provided testimony. Nick Mosby admitted to lying about their federal tax debt due to embarrassment, while Marilyn Mosby maintained that she did not intentionally make false statements and signed the loan applications in good faith.
However, Mosby’s failure to disclose debt on the applications led to the mortgage fraud charges. Prosecutors alleged that she falsely claimed a $5,000 gift from her husband to secure a lower interest rate, which ultimately led to her conviction. Prosecutors had to demonstrate that Mosby knowingly made false statements affecting the mortgage application process to secure a conviction.
With the mortgage fraud conviction, Mosby faces a maximum prison sentence of 30 years for the single count.
Mosby gained national attention for prosecuting Baltimore police officers following the death of Freddie Gray, a Black man, in police custody.
