The former mayor of Baltimore was sentenced to three years in federal prison for arranging fraudulent sales of her self-published children’s books to nonprofits and foundations to promote her political career and fund her run for the city’s highest office.
News headlines today: Feb. 27, 2020BALTIMORE -- The disgraced former mayor of Baltimore was sentenced to three years in federal prison Thursday for arranging fraudulent sales of her self-published children’s books to nonprofits and foundations to promote her political career and fund her run for the city’s highest office.
Pugh was elected mayor in 2016 and resigned under pressure in May as authorities investigated bulk sales of her “Healthy Holly” paperbacks, which netted her hundreds of thousands of dollars. Prosecutors had asked U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow to sentence the former mayor to nearly five years in prison, while her attorneys suggested a term of one year and a day.
Dozens of people submitted letters to the federal judge pleading for leniency, including Kweisi Mfume, the formerleader and Democratic nominee for Maryland's 7th Congressional District. Five people spoke in support of Pugh during the hearing, including her former high school teacher. Baltimore City Council President Brandon M. Scott called the sentencing “a somber moment for Baltimore,” saying in a written statement that Pugh's acts “seriously undermined the public’s trust in our local government."
A detailed accounting of the sales presented by prosecutors revealed that organizations paid Pugh $859,960 for orders of more than 132,100 copies. But only about 73,200 copies were printed. In their sentencing memorandum, prosecutors said Pugh’s personal inventory of books never exceeded 8,216 copies, but she resold them repeatedly through the elaborate scheme.
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Former Baltimore mayor sentenced to 3 years in children's book fraud schemeThe former mayor of Baltimore was sentenced to three years in prison Thursday for arranging fraudulent sales of her self-published children’s books.
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Former Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison Over Children's Book ScandalLast May, former Baltimore mayor Catherine Pugh resigned from her position after news broke that she arranged for local nonprofits to buy a ridiculous number of her self-published Healthy Holly: Exercising is Fun children’s books, in order to conceal hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks. (According to the Baltimore Sun, Pugh struck a deal with the University of Maryland Medical System to spend $500,000 on 100,000 copies of her book—all while she sat on the board.) She was charged with 11 counts of fraud, tax evasion, and conspiracy in November, and pleaded guilty soon after. As of Thursday, Pugh has been sentenced to three years in prison and three years of parole, CNN reports, after having made more than $800,000 from fraudulent sales. She was also ordered to pay $411,948 in restitution and to forfeit $669,688, as well as $17,800 from her Committee to Re-elect Catherine Pugh.
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