Former Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby was once tasked with putting lawbreakers behind bars, but she will soon join them.
The 44-year-old Democrat faces up to 40 years in prison for mortgage fraud and perjury related to her purchase of two vacation homes in Florida. Her conviction last week was a stunning fall from grace for one of the first social justice prosecutors backed by billionaire George Soros.
District attorneys are facing heightened scrutiny over their political agendas and suspected legal and ethical lapses.
Leading the list is Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in Georgia, who is fighting efforts to dismiss an election interference indictment against former President Donald Trump and 18 others over her romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, the lawyer she hired as special prosecutor.
Ms. Willis’ office has paid about $650,000 since January 2023 to the firm of Mr. Wade, who picked up the tab for some of their vacation expenses. She has acknowledged the relationship but argued in a filing last week that Fulton County Superior Court has no grounds to dismiss the charges against Mr. Trump or remove her from the case.
“While the allegations raised in the various motions are salacious and garnered the media attention they were designed to obtain, none provide this Court with any basis upon which to order the relief they seek,” the filing says.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia Republican, filed a complaint last week with the Georgia State Ethics Commission that accuses Ms. Willis of failing to file personal financial disclosure statements.
In California, Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price has come under criticism for hiring her boyfriend, Antwon Cloird, as a senior program analyst with an annual salary of $115,502. The East Bay Times first reported that the position was not publicly advertised.
Ms. Price, elected in November 2022, is also the focus of a recall campaign over her “refusing to charge cases, lowering sentences, and gutting the District Attorney’s Office of experienced, competent prosecutors,” said Save Alameda For Everyone, the recall committee.
She defended her record by saying she ran on a platform of “justice with compassion where it’s appropriate.”
For prosecutors accused of criminal wrongdoing, losing their jobs is often only the beginning. Among recent high-profile cases:
• In Pennsylvania, former Bradford County District Attorney Chad Salsman, a Republican, pleaded guilty in 2021 to promoting prostitution and intimidating witnesses. He was accused of pressuring clients for sex when he was a defense attorney. He is slated to be released this month after nearly two years in prison.
• In Georgia, former Glynn County District Attorney Jackie Johnson, a Republican, was indicted in 2021 on charges of violating her oath of public office and obstructing police in the case of Ahmaud Arbery, the Black man fatally shot by two White men who chased him in their pickup truck. She has pleaded not guilty.
• In Pennsylvania, former Somerset County District Attorney Jeffrey Thomas, a Republican, was sentenced in August to 2¼ to seven years in prison. He was found guilty of charges related to a 2021 attack on a woman in her home.
George Brauchler, a former district attorney for the 18th Judicial District in Colorado, said prosecutors handling major national cases will inevitably find their own conduct under the microscope.
“If you look at Fani Willis and Mosby, these people are in the spotlight. The Freddie Gray case? What was bigger than that at the time? It was huge. Prosecuting the former president?” said Mr. Brauchler. “So any missteps they make are going to be amplified a hundredfold.”
He said those committing infractions represent a small minority of all prosecutors.
“I don’t think that’s the majority. I think it’s the vast minority,” said Mr. Brauchler, a candidate for district attorney in the newly created 23rd Judicial District. “Most of the attorneys out there, most of the ones I’ve worked with, are really upstanding folks who are trying to do the right thing.”
District attorneys became lightning rods for political controversy with the rise of the so-called Soros DAs, those elected on a liberal criminal justice platform with campaign funding help from Mr. Soros.
Seventy such prosecutors now serve in office, according to the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund’s interactive map, and 12 have been removed or defeated or have resigned.
LAUNCHING TODAY: Our groundbreaking interactive mapping tool allows users to track the identities, locations, and details of George Soros-backed prosecutors across the country.
— Law Enforcement Legal Defense (@LELDF) February 7, 2024
Go ahead—deep dive into the details for yourself: https://t.co/A1pLDYIRSs pic.twitter.com/zxZACrc5QX
Mosby, who was defeated in the 2022 Democratic primary after serving two terms, was perhaps best known for charging six Baltimore officers in the 2015 death of Freddie Gray, who died of spinal injuries while in police custody. None of the officers was convicted.
Her sentencing is scheduled for May 23. She also faces disbarment, which would prevent her from practicing law in Maryland.
Mr. Brauchler emphasized that district attorneys must be held to the same legal standard as everyone else.
“I think it hurts the reputation, but I want to see them prosecuted,” he said. “I want to see that publicized. I want to see their punishment publicized because I think people need to know nobody is above the law. If a top prosecutor breaks the law, you get prosecuted just like everybody else. They need to see that.”
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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