Ex-Hogan chief of staff dies after confrontation with FBI, attorneys say

By Evan Perez, Mary Kay Mallonee and Dave Alsup, CNN

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s one-time chief of staff Roy McGrath has died after a nationwide, three-week manhunt for him ended Monday in a confrontation with the FBI in Knoxville, Tennessee, according to McGrath’s attorney.

McGrath, who served as the top aide to Hogan, a Republican, for a few months during the summer of 2020, faced charges related to an alleged scheme to bilk Maryland out of more than $276,000. McGrath pleaded not guilty to all the charges and was released on bond, the US Marshals Service has said.

An arrest warrant had been issued for him in mid-March after he failed to appear for his scheduled trial in Baltimore.

McGrath’s death was confirmed on Monday by his attorneys. The FBI confirmed an “agent-involved shooting” early Monday afternoon and said McGrath “sustained injury and was transported to the hospital” but did not provide additional details.

“The FBI has confirmed that Roy succumbed to the injuries inflicted earlier in the evening. It is a tragic ending to three weeks of uncertainty,” Attorney Joseph Murtha told CNN in a statement. “I think it is important to stress that Roy never waivered about his innocence.”

William Brennan, an attorney for McGrath’s wife, also confirmed McGrath died at a Tennessee hospital after “a confrontation with the FBI” and told CNN that his client was “absolutely distraught.”

Neither attorney was able to provide any additional details as to the circumstances surrounding McGrath’s death.

A person familiar with the investigation told CNN that the confrontation occurred near an interstate exit and came after the FBI received a tip that McGrath was in the area. FBI agents tracked McGrath’s vehicle on the highway and sought to carry out a traffic stop.

It’s not clear why McGrath was in the Knoxville area or for how long.

Investigators are now trying to determine the circumstances of the shots fired by FBI agents and how he died.

McGrath was indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2021 on charges that he defrauded the Maryland Environmental Service, a state-operated corporation where he served as executive director before joining Hogan’s office, of a $233,647.23 severance payment by “falsely telling them that the Governor was aware of and approved the payment,” according to the Justice Department.

The indictment also alleged that McGrath directed MES funds to an art museum for which he was a member of the board of directors so as to avoid paying for a pledge out of his own pocket, defrauded MES to pay for a tuition expense of more than $14,000 and falsified time sheets during two vacations.

McGrath was initially charged with wire fraud and embezzlement from an organization receiving more than $10,000 in federal benefits, and a superseding indictment returned in June 2022 also charged him with falsifying records. On the state level, he faced felony theft charges and a violation of the state’s wiretap law, the Justice Department said.

The FBI had offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to McGrath’s arrest.

This headline and story have been updated with additional developments.

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CNN’s Shawna Mizelle contributed to this report.