By Steve Neavling
Fugitive Roy McGrath, the former chief of staff to Maryland Gov. Larry Logan, was shot dead Monday night during a confrontation with the FBI.
McGrath was the subject of a manhunt after he failed to appear in court for the first day of a trial on wire fraud and embezzlement charges on March 13.
The 53-year-old had pleaded guilty in 2021 to numerous counts stemming from his work for a quasi-governmental agency he had led prior to serving as Hogan’s chief of staff. He was out of jail on bond.
“The FBI has confirmed that Roy succumbed to the injuries inflicted earlier this evening,” McGrath’s attorney Joseph Murtha said in a statement, according to CBS News. “It is a tragic ending to the past three weeks of uncertainty. It is important for me to stress that Roy never wavered about his innocence.”
The FBI spotted McGrath in a car in the Knoxville area at about 6:30 p.m.
An “agent-involved shooting” occurred while the FBI attempted to arrest him, the bureau said.
“The subject, Roy McGrath, sustained injury and was transported to the hospital,” the FBI said.
Last week, the FBI and U.S. Marshal’s Service offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
He was considered an international flight risk.
The FBI had issued a wanted poster for McGrath.
McGrath was accused of using his government position to steal thousands of taxpayer funds, awarding himself a severance of $230,000 after he left the quasi-government agency, and forging documents.
