Posted on 05/09/24
| News Source: FOX45
The NAACP is calling on President Joe Biden to pardon former Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby following her federal convictions of perjury and mortgage fraud.
Mosby was convicted on two counts of perjury in November 2023 and one count of mortgage fraud after two separate federal trials. The charges are all related to her withdrawals from her city retirement fund and the purchase of two vacation homes in Florida.
When Mosby withdrew approximately $80,000 from her retirement account, she did so without paying a penalty for early withdrawal claiming to have suffered a COVID-related financial hardship. However, following a trial, a jury determined she lied on the withdrawal forms, twice. Federal prosecutors also charged Mosby with two counts of mortgage fraud, though a jury convicted her of on one count, determining she falsely submitted a gift letter – indicating her then-husband, City Council President Nick Mosby gifted her $5,000 to cover the closing costs.
The NAACP submitted a five-page letter to President Joe Biden seeking the pardon, claiming Mosby’s convictions were a result of selective prosecution, driven by former President Donald Trump and a biased U.S. Department of Justice.
The letter from the NAACP comes after Mosby herself appeared on MSNBC’s The Reid Out hosted by Joy Reid, where she claimed her innocence and made a public plea to President Biden for a pardon.
“I’ve done absolutely nothing wrong, nothing illegal, nothing criminal,” Mosby said during her appearance with Reid.
Mosby is facing up to 40 years in prison for all three charges, though it’s unlikely that she will get sentenced to the maximum penalty. She is scheduled to be sentenced on May 23.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was recently asked about Mosby’s pardon request. Jean-Pierre said she had not discussed the request with President Biden and noted there’s a formal pardon request process through the DOJ.
While the NAACP said Mosby’s prosecution was pursued by a Trump-led DOJ, a Biden-appointed U.S. Attorney assumed office after the investigation was underway and decided to continue with the probe. Erek Barron, the U.S. Attorney for Maryland, is also the first African American U.S. Attorney for Maryland in state history. Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby, the federal judge overseeing the entire Mosby case, is also a Biden-appointed federal judge.