The years-long saga of former Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby’s downfall and criminal processing may finally be at a close. This week, she went to court to learn her fate after multiple convictions for fraud and perjury. The prosecution had been seeking a two-year prison sentence, while Mosby’s attorneys had pleaded for probation. As so often happens in these cases, the judge decided to split the baby and handed down a sentence of one year of home detention followed by three years of supervised release. She was also ordered to forfeit her condominium in Florida that she and her husband purchased through fraudulent means. So was that enough of a sentence? Opinions seem to be mixed. (Baltimore Sun)
Former Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby was sentenced Thursday to one year of home detention for perjury and mortgage fraud, with the judge also ordering her to forfeit her Florida condo.
U.S. District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby spared Mosby from prison, as prosecutors and sentencing guidelines called for, choosing instead to impose a punishment of three years of supervised release. Griggsby also ruled that Mosby has to complete 100 hours of community service while on probation.
Mosby’s supporters cheered in the courtroom when Griggsby announced the sentence as the former prosecutor dabbed at her eyes with a tissue.
“The court agrees these are very serious offenses and that this conduct displays a pattern of dishonesty,” Griggsby told Mosby. “This dishonesty also occurred when you held the highest office for a prosecutor in the City of Baltimore.”
Given the amount of money involved and the nature of the crimes, this might seem like a fairly typical sentence for a first offender. But when you consider the fact that Mosby was a public official who was herself entrusted to enforce the law, it feels like she got away with a slap on the wrist. The judge’s decision was apparently significantly motivated by the fact that Mosby has two daughters. In delivering her ruling she said, “Most significantly to this court, you are a mother of two daughters.”
Under current Maryland law, Mosby will be ineligible to hold any elected or appointed public office until she completes her probation four years from now. But as I suggested at the top, this story may not be over yet. As we previously discussed, there are people lobbying Joe Biden to pardon Mosby, and he still may consider doing that to score a few points with Black voters ahead of the upcoming election.
Even if she doesn’t receive a pardon, Marilyn Mosby could still seek a return to public office four years from now. She had a very large crowd of supporters speaking on her behalf during the sentencing hearing. There were more waiting for her out in the streets, chanting and singing songs. If she does make a comeback, she won’t be the first Baltimore official to be convicted of serious crimes and later return to power. Just this month, a former Mayor of Baltimore who was convicted of embezzlement came within a couple thousand votes of winning the mayoral primary and returning to office after her probation ended.
It remains a mystery to me personally, but that’s apparently just the way people roll in Charm City. If you are a public official, no matter how obvious it may be that you have broken the law, all you need to do is declare that you are the victim of racism or biased political attacks and the public will welcome you back with open arms. That’s how the city winds up remaining locked in a seemingly endless series of scandals. The voters keep choosing these dubious characters and they send them back to office over and over again.