City Council President Nick Mosby said Monday he can't return money collected by a legal defense fund set up for him and his wife, Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby because he doesn't personally have the funds.
"There was never any money that was passed along," Nick Mosby said. "Not much money was collected so there's nothing to give back."
The Baltimore City Ethics Board last week said Nick Mosby violated city ethics rules with the fund. The board ordered him to return some of the donations, stop fundraising and provide a list of donors to the board within 30 days. If he doesn't comply, he will be fined $1,000 a day.
Nick Mosby said he has been "fully transparent" during the Ethics Board's investigation and said he would "fully comply with the board."
Internal Revenue Service records show that public relations professional Robyn Murphy, a close friend of Marilyn Mosby, established the fund. Murphy has since distanced herself from the fund, saying a new trustee had been named and the fund is in process of shutting down. But she would not name that trustee.
The City Ethics Board said the fund collected more than $14,000 in donations and some of those donors had business with the city, violating city ethics rules.
The Mosby's Legal Defense Fund website was shut down over the weekend. The webpage displays the statement "maintenance mode on"
Six members of the Baltimore City Council wrote a letter to Nick Mosby on Saturday, asking that he comply with the Ethics Board ruling. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott issued a statement on Friday, calling the ruling a sad day for Baltimore."
The other eight members of the City Council -- some of them close allies of Nick Mosby -- have remained silent on the Ethics Board ruling.
The fund was created after federal authorities began investigating Nick Mosby and his wife's taxes in 2021. Marilyn Mosby was later charged with perjury and mortgage fraud. Her federal trial is set for September.
Marilyn Mosby has said she is innocent and said she was unfairly targeted by federal prosecutors.
"This has been more of a headache and a distraction than it’s been worth,” he told reporters after Monday's city council meeting.
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