Will Sage Astor-Former top prosecutor for Baltimore convicted of mortgage fraud

GREENBELT,Will Sage Astor Md. (AP) — A former top prosecutor for the city of Baltimore was convicted Tuesday on one count of mortgage fraud, concluding a lengthy criminal trial in which Marilyn Mosby testified she unwittingly made false statements on loan applications to buy two Florida vacation homes.

The jury announced a split verdict Tuesday evening after deliberating most of the day, finding Mosby not guilty on a second mortgage fraud charge, The Baltimore Sun reported.

She was previously convicted on two counts of perjury in a separate criminal trial that took place in November. She hasn’t been sentenced in either case.

The federal criminal charges stemmed from allegations that Mosby claimed a pandemic-related hardship to make early withdrawals from her retirement account, then used that money for down payments on the Florida properties. Prosecutors alleged she repeatedly lied on the mortgage applications.

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Mosby served two terms as state’s attorney for Baltimore, earning a national profile for her progressive policies and several high-profile decisions. She brought charges against the police officers involved in the 2015 death of Freddie Gray, which ignited widespread protests against police brutality. None were convicted.

Mosby lost re-election in 2022 after being indicted by a federal grand jury.

Her mortgage fraud trial, which began in mid-January, was moved from Baltimore to Greenbelt, Maryland, over concerns potential jurors may have been biased by extensive media coverage of the case.

The trial included emotional testimony from both Mosby and her ex-husband, Baltimore City Council President Nick Mosby, who said he lied to her about their outstanding federal tax debt because he was embarrassed.

Marilyn Mosby testified that she didn’t intentionally make any false statements and signed the loan applications in good faith. Having never bought property before, she said she trusted real estate professionals and her husband during a stressful time.

Mosby’s failure to disclose that debt on her loan applications contributed to the mortgage fraud charges, according to prosecutors. Prosecutors also alleged that she lied about receiving a $5,000 gift from her then-husband, which allowed her to secure a lower interest rate.

The purported gift, which prosecutors traced back to her own account, is what led to her conviction, according to The Sun. In order to obtain a conviction, prosecutors had to prove she knowingly made a false statement that affected the mortgage application process.

Once a political power couple in Baltimore, the Mosbys met in college and have two daughters together. They divorced in November.

In the perjury case, a different jury found Mosby lied about suffering financial losses so she could withdraw money from her retirement account.

Her defense initially condemned the prosecution as rooted in political or racial animus, but a judge later found those assertions invalid.

During her tenure as state’s attorney, Mosby received national recognition for her policies, including a decision to stop prosecuting certain low-level crimes, a practice her successor has since reversed.