Baltimore prosecutor Marilyn Mosby pleads not guilty to federal perjury charges

Baltimore’s top prosecutor, Marilyn J. Mosby, pleaded not guilty last week to federal charges of allegedly lying about experiencing pandemic-related hardship on an application to withdraw $90,000 in retirement funds.

The longtime Baltimore state’s attorney denied the charges during an arraignment hearing last Friday at the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. She pleaded not guilty to two counts of perjury in connection with the withdrawal application and each count carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

She also pleaded not guilty to two counts of making false loan applications, each count carries a maximum of 30 years in federal prison. Prosecutors say she secured two mortgages — one for $490,500 in 2020 and another for $428,400 in 2021 — for vacation homes in Florida. She did not reveal on the mortgage applications that she owes more than $45,000 in federal back taxes.

Also during Friday’s hearing, Ms. Mosby’s attorney, A. Scott Bolden, requested a speedy jury trial within 60 days. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland did not respond to a request for comment.

Ms. Mosby, 41, of Baltimore has held her position for seven years. She is among a movement of prosecutors nationwide implementing progressive policies aimed at addressing systemic inequalities, including her decision in March 2020 to stop prosecuting low-level crimes such as prostitution and drug possession.

Ms. Mosby was indicted by a federal grand jury on Jan. 13,  just months before she will be up for reelection.

During an interview earlier last week with Joy Reid of MSNBC’s “The Reid Out,” Ms. Mosby and her attorney suggested the federal charges are politically-motivated.

“At the end of the day, and again I’ll refer to my attorney, there [are] ulterior motives for something like this, for an attack like this,” Ms. Mosby said.

Her attorney added, “When you bring an indictment four months before an election, when you don’t sit down with the defense and tell them what you’re looking for, you’re not trying to find justice or truth. You’re trying to affect an outcome of her reelection effort.”