Marilyn Mosby, the former state’s attorney for the city of Baltimore, was sentenced Thursday for perjury and mortgage fraud crimes but will not serve any jail time.
Ms. Mosby was sentenced to 12 months of home confinement and three years of supervised release after she was convicted of lying about her financial situation during the pandemic to get money from her city Deferred Compensation retirement account — money that she used to buy two vacation homes in Florida.
She also was convicted of lying about a $5,000 gift from her then-husband, which was actually her own money.
Ms. Mosby hugged her supporters in the courtroom, some of whom applauded when the judge announced the sentence.
“I’m just so incredibly grateful,” she told a crowd outside the courthouse. “This is not over, but God was here today.”
Prosecutors had asked the court to sentence her to 20 months in prison because she showed no contrition for her crime, unlike others who have also committed white-collar crimes.
“Ms. Mosby was charged and convicted because she chose to repeatedly break the law, not because of her politics or policies,” prosecutors wrote in a court filing.
U.S. District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby said that Ms. Mosby’s crime didn’t involve any taxpayer money and had no victims, which is why she will avoid jail time.
During the sentencing hearing, Judge Griggsby asked Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Delaney “are there victims and who are they?”
“It’s a good question, your honor,” Mr. Delaney responded. “I get it. This isn’t an embezzlement case,” but adding that it harms the public when a public official lies under oath.
The judge also said that while Ms. Mosby’s lack of remorse “weighs heavily,” the idea of separating Ms. Mosby from her two young daughters also “weighed very heavily on her decision.”
James Wyda, one of Ms. Mosby’s attorneys, said the legal team would be appealing her conviction and sentence while seeking a presidential pardon.
“Jail is not a just sentence for Ms. Mosby. Not for her family. Not for the community,” Mr. Wyda said.
Ms. Mosby has claimed that she was innocent from the beginning, and said she was targeted for the progressive actions she took while in office, such as prosecuting Baltimore police officers for abusing or killing Black suspects.
“The prosecution of Marilyn Mosby seems intended to send a chilling message to our progressive prosecutors,” civil rights lawyer Benjamin Crump said.
The Congressional Black Caucus has also called for a pardon, along with a group of 15 civil rights organizations.
• This article was based in part on wire service reports.
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