Judge finds Baltimore state attorney Mosby can’t afford expert witnesses, orders state aid – Baltimore Sun

The court will help pay the costs of the expert witnesses. Baltimore state attorney Marilyn Mosby plans to defend himself against federal perjury and mortgage fraud, a judge ruled Tuesday.

Mosby’s lawyers have indicated that they plan to rely on several experts to build her defense. Defense witnesses can testify about a forensic analysis of her personal and business finances, the federal government’s CARES Act and federal tax liens, according to court documents filed in March.

Expert testimonials can be precious, and Mosby asked the court to foot the bill under the Criminal Justice Act, which required federal courts to release funds to support those accused of crimes who do not have a lawyer or other elements. of legal representation. If a person qualifies, they are more often than not represented by the Federal Office of the Public Defender. It is up to a judge to decide when a suspect asks for it.

In an injunction issued Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby found that the “expert services” Mosby had requested are “necessary” and that Mosby is “financially unable to obtain these services at this time to adequately prepare for the process.”

Griggsby found that Mosby, who earns a salary of about $248,000 a year from the city, currently has “sufficient financial resources to contribute” to the funds the court has authorized to pay experts, and ordered Mosby to repay the court over time. The order did not specify a time frame for reimbursement or an amount. Griggsby also ordered Mosby to notify the court before August 5 if she could afford the refunds, and to provide continuous updates every 30 days.

Defense attorney Andrew I. Alperstein, a former prosecutor not involved in Mosby’s case, said it is common to pay expert fees of $10,000 or more, with some offering their services on a flat rate and others by the hour. to calculate.

“Government funds exist in certain circumstances for individuals charged with the understanding that the prosecution has access to unlimited resources and that the accused may not always have the resources to keep up with the government,” Alperstein told The Baltimore Sun. “In rare instances where the defendant has been charged in federal court and is given a private attorney, the court will allow funding from the attorney, expert witnesses, investigators, or other means to make the trial fair.”

For a judge to approve the money, a person must argue for what they need and show that they may not be able to afford it, Alperstein said.

[ [ICYMI] Judge releases some documents in federal criminal case against Marilyn Mosby †

Mosby has portrayed herself as the victim of repeated investigations, beginning with the city’s Inspector General’s investigation of her travels — which the prosecutor herself had requested.

“They’ve scoured every aspect of my life for the past two years, and this is where we are: hundreds of thousands of dollars in attorneys’ fees debt,” Mosby told reporters on the steps of Baltimore’s federal courthouse on April 14.

Mosby, the city’s elected two-term prosecutor, is scheduled for September 19. She is running for re-election in the Democratic primary on July 19.

Mosby is charged with two counts of perjury and two counts of making false statements about mortgage applications for a pair of Florida vacation homes: an eight-bedroom rental home near Disney World and an apartment on the state’s Gulf Coast.

Prosecutors say she falsely claimed financial hardship from the coronavirus to withdraw $90,000 from her city retirement savings under the CARES Act, Congress’s first pandemic aid package, and then use that money to buy the Florida properties . She also allegedly lied about using the house as a second home to get a lower interest rate and failed to disclose any federal tax law, according to the indictment.

“Put simply, the defendant’s perjury allowed her to use $90,000 in funds that she should not have had access to to obtain two vacation homes,” the prosecutors wrote in previous court documents.

After denying Mosby’s first attempt after Griggsby dismissed the charges against her on vengeful charges, Griggsby has since authorized Mosby’s lawyers to come forward with a new argument: coronavirus relief.

While the motion marked a shift from personally attacking prosecutors to filing a legal challenge, the government filed a stern response describing the logic of its lawyers as dystopian.

The latest resignation application bore the names of attorneys Gary Proctor and Lucius Outlaw, who joined Mosby’s defense team for free. Attorney A. Scott Bolden leads Mosby’s defense and did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday afternoon.

About a year ago, a legal defense fund was set up for Mosby and her husband, Baltimore City Council president Nick Mosby, when it was revealed that federal prosecutors were investigating the power couple’s taxes.

By March 15, the fund had received at least $14,352 in donations, according to a report from the city’s Ethics Council.

The ethics board ordered Nick Mosby to stop accepting donations through the fund after it discovered he had violated city rules by taking money from two city contractors. Nick Mosby is appealing the board’s ruling. The board has no jurisdiction over Marilyn Mosby.

[ [ICYMI] Judge dismisses Marilyn Mosby’s request to dismiss charges against her †

The Mosbys have used campaign finance over the years to cover their legal costs. In her January filing, Marilyn reported spending nearly $48,000 on attorneys, including $37,500 on Reed Smith LLP, where Bolden is a partner.

The Maryland State Board of Elections found that Mosby’s campaign spending did not violate electoral law. Although officials approved those expenses, future expenses could lead to a violation.

Marilyn Mosby has reported no legal fees in her most recent campaign finance application.