Manhunt for former Maryland governor’s former top aide follows court no-show

(Reuters) – The United States said on Tuesday it had issued an arrest warrant and launched a search for Roy McGrath, a former top aide to former Maryland governor, who failed to appear in court to face charges of wire fraud and falsification of records.

In June 2020, McGrath was appointed chief of staff to former Republican Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, who served from 2015 to 2023. McGrath stepped down later that year and was impeached in 2021

McGrath pleaded not guilty in October 2021 and was released on bond, but did not appear in court when his trial was scheduled to begin Monday, the U.S. Marshals Service—part of the Justice Department—said, adding it had “opened an interstate fugitive investigation.”

It also issued a ‘wanted’ poster with McGrath’s photo from 2021, saying he is wanted for “forgery, conversion of property, theft of programs receiving federal funds and falsification of records in a federal investigation.”

McGrath’s lawyer, Joseph Murtha, said in an emailed response to a Reuters request for comment:

“I am not aware of Roy McGrath’s whereabouts and am concerned for his well-being by his family and friends. I hope that Roy is safe and that we will have a chance to speak to each other soon.”

(Reporting by Costas Pitas in Los Angeles; Editing by Caitlin Weber and Josie Cao)