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Roy McGrath, the former Hogan administration official who was charged by federal and state prosecutors this week, lashed out against his accusers in a Facebook post Thursday and said he is confident “the exculpatory facts will come to light and speak for themselves.”
McGrath, the one-time chief of staff to Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) and former director of the Maryland Environmental Service, faces more than 30 state and federal criminal charges for wire fraud, misconduct in office and improper use of state funds, according to cases filed Tuesday.
Prosecutors maintain that McGrath misrepresented his compensation to Hogan and the MES board of directors, recorded phone calls between top public officials without consent, and improperly directed state funding to a Talbot County museum where he sat on the board.
McGrath’s attorney, Bruce L. Marcus, denied the charges in terse statements released shortly after the criminal charges were made public. But now McGrath has weighed in on Facebook, thanking his “true friends” for rallying around him and expressing hope that he will be exonerated.
“I want to say thanks to my friends who’ve reached out to share their support,” he wrote. “Your true friends know your character, and in times like these you learn who those friends are. Over a year ago, politically-motivated bullies originated this twisted mess. In the time since, not one impartial person has asked me for the facts, while my loyalties and our systems prevent me from speaking freely. The time will come, however, when I’m confident the exculpatory facts will come to light and speak for themselves.”
At a State House news conference on Thursday, Hogan said his administration has cooperated with state and federal criminal investigators.
“It’s kind of an outrageous situation that we’ve all learned more about over time. It’s something that’s kind of disgraceful,” Hogan said. “And we’re glad that we were able to get to the bottom of it to try to make sure if something like this couldn’t happen again.”
The governor himself met with investigators and “was happy to provide them with whatever information that they required,” he said.
jkurtz@marylandmatters.org
