Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan 'fully supports' FBI, US Marshal search for fugitive ex-chief of staff
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan "fully supports" efforts by law enforcement to track down his fugitive former Chief of Staff Roy McGrath, his spokesman tells Fox News Digital.
McGrath remains on the run Friday after failing to appear at his criminal trial in Baltimore on March 13. The FBI has raided his home in Florida.
The 53-year-old is facing an eight-count federal indictment. Charges include wire fraud, which includes securing a $233,648 severance payment equal to one year of salary as the head of the Maryland Environmental Service. McGrath also faces fraud and embezzlement charges connected to roughly $170,000 in expenses.
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Authorities offer $20K reward for arrest of former Maryland Gov. Hogan's ex-chief of staff Roy McGrath
Federal authorities are offering rewards of up to $20,000 as their search continues for former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan's ex-chief of staff, Roy McGrath, after he failed to appear for trial on corruption charges.
"Governor Hogan fully supports local, state and federal law enforcement efforts to resolve this situation," his spokesman told Fox News Digital.
The spokesman added that Hogan was preparing to testify against McGrath at the trial, on behalf of the prosecution.
McGrath has pleaded not guilty to the charges, but his whereabouts remain unknown.
"A federal arrest warrant was issued by the United States District Court, District of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, on March 13, 2023, after he was charged with Failure to Appear," the FBI has said.
FBI raids home of former Maryland Gov. Hogan's ex-chief of staff Roy McGrath as manhunt continues
Two days after former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan's ex-chief of staff failed to appear in court to stand trial on federal corruption charges, FBI agents raided his Florida home as the search continues for Roy McGrath.
According to federal and state prosecutors, McGrath personally enriched himself by taking advantage of his positions of trust as the environmental agency’s director and Hogan’s top aide. He got the agency’s board to approve paying him the severance payment upon his departure as executive director by falsely telling them the governor had already approved the payment, prosecutors say.
McGrath resigned from his role within Hogan's office a few months after the six-figure payment was reported.
Joseph Murtha, McGrath’s attorney, previously told The Associated Press that FBI agents in Florida were likely looking for anything to indicate McGrath’s current whereabouts during the March 15 raid.
An FBI spokesperson told the outlet that agents "conducted court authorized activity at that residence," but declined to elaborate.
Murtha said he had no reason to believe his client would skip out on court. He said they had a substantive conversation about the case on March 12. McGrath was supposed to board a plane later that night, his attorney said.
"I haven’t a clue. I didn’t see this coming," he said. "This behavior is so out of the ordinary for him. Obviously his personal safety is a concern."
In a wanted poster from the FBI, investigators say McGrath has ties to Naples, Florida, and "should be considered an escape risk."
His aliases include Roy Baisliadou, Roy Mak-Grath and RC Mak-Grath, according to the FBI.
McGrath, who was born in Greece, is described as being around 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weighing 140 pounds, with brown hair.
Fox News’ Kyle Morris and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.