Posted on 01/20/25
| News Source: FOX45
Baltimore, MD - Jan. 20, 2025 - Despite several public pleas from herself, family members, and friends, Marilyn Mosby did not receive a pardon from President Joe Biden.
Mosby and her supporters renewed their push for a presidential pardon in the waning weeks of the Biden Administration, though those efforts were unsuccessful.
Mosby, Baltimore City’s former state’s attorney, was convicted on two counts of federal perjury charges following a jury trial in November 2023, and a separate jury convicted her in a January 2024 trial on one count of federal mortgage fraud.
Before Donald Trump took the oath of office on Jan. 20, 2025, outgoing President Biden issued several pardons, including some for his family members, and pre-emptive pardons to former administration officials, like Dr. Anthony Fauci, and others. But Mosby’s name was not on the final lists of pardons.
Leading up to Biden’s final day in the White House, Mosby and her supporters continued their efforts trying to gain traction for a pardon. While sharing a photo of Martin Luther King, Jr. – on MLK Day – the Justice 4 Marilyn Mosby Instagram account confirmed Mosby’s lack of pardon, noting more than 97,000 people signed an online petition in support of the pardon.
“While we’re deeply disappointed that Marilyn Mosby did not receive a pardon, this fight is far from over,” the post wrote. “Justice is a journey, and we remain committed to standing by her and amplifying her truth.”
Mosby’s pardon push got the help from several high-profile figures. In early December, after pardoning his son Hunter Biden, civil rights attorney Ben Crump and political strategist Angela Rye renewed Mosby’s pardon efforts with a statement urging President Biden to pardon Baltimore's former top prosecutor.
“There are thousands of people who have been wrongfully convicted and sit in federal prisons today. While Hunter Biden was selectively prosecuted, he’s not the only one.”
"Marilyn Mosby is on house arrest right now with her law license hanging in the balance over purchasing property with her own money," the statement continued. "We welcome a conversation with President Biden to discuss ways to use his pardon power to free those 'others' who deserve justice also."
A few days later, on Dec. 4, Baltimore City Council President Nick Mosby called on Biden to pardon Marilyn, his ex-wife. Presiding over his final Board of Estimates meeting, the outgoing City Council President brought up his two daughters to stand with him as he asked the President to pardon Marilyn.
“Marilyn Mosby, my ex-wife, was selectively prosecuted, wrongfully prosecuted, politically prosecuted, and I call on my colleagues throughout the state, and call on anybody else throughout the state, to ask President Joe Biden for a pardon,” Nick Mosby said.
On Dec. 5, a group of protesters marched to the White House to ask President Joe Biden to pardon former Mosby. The group of Mosby supporters came from all over the region, including a bus from Baltimore. The event, which started at Freedom Plaza, was organized in part by the Prince George’s County chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
“I’ve been seeing other people being pardoned. I’ve seen other people being pardoned by other presidents. People who did tax evasion, drug dealers, everyone being pardoned. Ms. Mosby spent her own money. She is being persecuted for using her own money to buy a home, she did not have any homes in her name. She wanted something in her name. And now she is being persecuted for that,” Dr. Josephine Mourning, co-chair of the Committee to Free Marilyn Mosby, said.
Crump showed up to the federal courthouse in Greenbelt, MD, for Mosby’s sentencing in May 2024. He spoke on her behalf during the court hearing and spoke at a news conference outside the courthouse following Judge Lydia Griggsby’s ruling, sentencing Mosby to one year of home detention following to federal perjury convictions and one federal mortgage fraud conviction.
“Do not let them silence you. Do not let them take your voice from you,” Crump said during his May remarks. “History will remember you followed your conscious and those are the people who will continue to inspire a whole generation of civil rights lawyers in the future.”
In March 2024, prior to Mosby’s sentencing, supporters launched an online petition requesting a presidential pardon. Supporters of the former state’s attorney in Baltimore City claim a laundry list of reasons why they believe Mosby should be pardoned, including alleging a targeted investigation, trial irregularities, and selective prosecution.
Despite the public's appeal, according to the U.S. Department of Justice's website, there is not a case associated with Mosby.
While Mosby has maintained her innocence, a jury determined she lied when she withdrew money from her city retirement account penalty-free, claiming she suffered an adverse financial hardship stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. A separate jury convicted Mosby on one count of mortgage fraud stemming from the purchase of a Florida vacation home. The convictions came after a years-long legal saga that started with her federal indictment while she served as the top prosecutor in Baltimore City. She began her 12-month home detention sentence in June.
Meanwhile, Mosby and her legal team continue to appeal the convictions, claiming several legal problems throughout both trials should nullify the convictions. In the latest filings, federal prosecutors argued there were no legal issues with either trial and asked the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold the convictions. A hearing has been scheduled for Jan. 31, 2025, in Richmond, Va.