The fugitive ex-chief of staff of former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan was killed in a shootout while law enforcement was trying to execute an arrest near Knoxville, Tennessee.
According to a report in the Baltimore Banner, FBI agents have confirmed to his family that Roy McGrath died at the hospital after being confronted at a stop.
William C. Brennan Jr., the attorney for Mr. McGrath’s wife, Laura Bruner, confirmed the death to the Baltimore Banner and Mr. McGrath’s own lawyer acknowledged his client’s death.
“Laura’s absolutely distraught,” said Mr. Brennan, who later also confirmed the death to the Baltimore Sun.
In a statement, McGrath’s attorney, Joseph Murtha, said he was incredibly saddened by “the loss of Roy McGrath’s life and the unfortunate events that have transpired over the past three weeks.
“Roy McGrath never wavered about his innocence,” Mr. Murtha said.
Mr. McGrath was discovered Monday evening by the FBI three weeks after missing the start of his trial in a federal fraud case.
The agency had acknowledged the shooting in a public statement earlier in the evening, saying it was ”reviewing an agent-involved shooting which occurred at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Monday, April 3. During the arrest, the subject, Roy McGrath, sustained injury and was transported to the hospital.”
The statement was not explicit about whether one of its agents had shot Mr. McGrath or whether the gunshot was self-inflicted.
The FBI said it would investigate the shooting, per normal procedure.
Citing witnesses to the scene, the Banner reported that the confrontation took place at a high-end shopping center in Farragut, Tennessee, about 17 miles west of Knoxville.
Jon Housley told the news outlet that he was leaving a Gold’s Gym around 6:45 p.m. when he saw unmarked police vehicles surrounding a white Yukon SUV that had both side windows shot out.
“I thought, uh oh, somebody’s pulled over,” he told the Banner.
Mr. Housley said he saw blood on the ground as a man was taken out of the Yukon, put on a stretcher, and a sheet pulled up to his neck.
The fatal shooting ends a three-week manhunt after Mr. McGrath, 53, failed to show up for his trial on March 13.
Mr. McGrath faced charges related to a payout he received after leaving as executive director of the Maryland Environmental Service to become Mr. Hogan’s chief of staff in 2020.
The indictment accused Mr. McGrath of falsifying a document related to a severance payment of a year’s salary — $233,647 — so that it looked like Mr. Hogan approved it.
When asked about it, prosecutors said, Mr. McGrath falsely told the governor the MES Board of Directors had offered him the severance payment in accordance with their usual practice.
Prosecutors also accused Mr. McGrath of misusing MES funds for personal expenses and falsifying time sheets to claim he was at work while on two vacations in 2019.
Mr. McGrath lasted 11 weeks on the job before resigning in August 2020 from Mr. Hogan’s administration.
He faced charges of wire fraud, falsifying a document and embezzling funds from an organization receiving more than $10,000 in federal benefits. The most serious charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
When he didn’t show for the trial, U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman issued a warrant for Mr. McGrath’s arrest.
After two weeks, federal officials began offering a $20,000 reward for information on Mr. McGrath’s whereabouts and circulating wanted posters of the slim, former government official.
Mr. Murtha had said then that he was surprised by his client’s flight because he had had an extensive conversation with him about the trial the previous day.
“I haven’t a clue. I didn’t see this coming,” Mr. Murtha said. “This behavior is so out of the ordinary for him. Obviously, his personal safety is a concern.”
FBI agents raided his home in Naples, Florida, with his wife present later in the week.
She was cooperating with authorities and “seemed upset and bewildered” by the sudden turn of events, Mr. Murtha said.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
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