Roy C. McGrath, the ex-chief of staff to former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, died Monday after a confrontation with FBI agents in Tennessee, an agency spokesperson told The Baltimore Sun.
After McGrath failed to appear in court to answer allegations of embezzlement and fraud, a warrant was issued for the arrest of the former aide. For three weeks, law enforcement officials sought McGrath’s whereabouts until finally closing in on him near Knoxville April 3. Initially, reports indicated McGrath died of a self-inflicted gun shot wound, but an FBI spokesperson revealed the McGrath was possibly shot by an agent, The Baltimore Sun reported.
The FBI shot and killed Larry Hogan’s former chief of staff in Knoxville, TN. https://t.co/5uYPTfTDZf
— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) April 4, 2023
“During the arrest the subject, Roy McGrath, sustained injury and was transported to the hospital. The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents or task force members seriously,” the FBI spokesman stated, according to the outlet. The 53-year-old McGrath died at the hospital, William Brennan, an attorney for McGrath’s wife, told The Baltimore Sun.
While serving as Executive Director of Maryland Environmental Service (MES), McGrath allegedly used more than $200,000 of the organization’s funds to enrich himself, made false statements to Hogan and the MES board, and illegally recorded private conversations with state officials. Despite the allegations, his lawyer Joseph Murtha stated that McGrath always maintained his innocence. (RELATED: School Administrator Accused Of Embezzling $600K For IV Treatments, Family Vacations)
“The loss of Roy’s life is an absolute tragedy, and I think it’s important for me to say that Roy never wavered about his innocence,” Murtha stated, according to The Washington Post.
In the days following McGrath’s disappearance, a book titled “Betrayed: The True Story of Roy McGrath,” appeared on Amazon.com. In it, the author “Ryan Cooper” places the blame for the charges against McGrath on Hogan’s shoulders, The Washington Post reported.
A person claiming to be Cooper reportedly contacted The Washington Post, telling the outlet he’d written the book based on a draft written by McGrath and a “half a dozen or so conversations” with him. Though the Post attempted to verify his identity, Cooper refused, but told the outlet he was concerned over McGrath’s disappearance. “He is not the kind of guy to just vanish,” Cooper reportedly stated.