Roy C. McGrath, right, testifies at the Joint Committee on Fair Practices & State Personnel Oversight about his severance payout.
By PAMELA WOOD, Baltimore Sun
Members of a General Assembly oversight committee tried for months to get McGrath to answer their questions. While the subpoena compelled his appearance, he invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination at least 170 times. In dozens of other responses, he said he couldn’t recall what legislators wanted to know.
Legislative leaders said it’s clear to them McGrath spent money lavishly and negotiated a significant payout despite transferring from one state position to another. They’ve reviewed hundreds of pages of documents and interviewed other witnesses, publicly and privately.
“We’ve had a lot of evidence about a large, unwarranted, unprecedented payout for a lateral move within state government,” said Del. Erek Barron, co-chair of the committee. “That evidence, I haven’t heard much, if any, opposition to.”
For the better part of four hours, Ward B. Coe, an attorney for the lawmakers, grilled McGrath via video. McGrath’s attorney, Bruce Marcus, appeared at his side.
Coe attempted to get McGrath to describe how he got the Maryland Environmental Service’s board of directors to approve the payout at the end of May, when he left to become Hogan’s chief of staff. It represented a year’s salary of $233,647, plus $5,250 in tuition reimbursement.
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