A federal judge has issued an arrest warrant for Roy McGrath, the ex-chief of staff to former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who was missing in court Monday morning for what was scheduled to be the start of his criminal trial on charges of wire fraud, theft and falsifying documents.

McGrath, who now lives in Florida, was due in U.S. District Court in Baltimore at 9 a.m. The appointed time came and went with no sign of him. As of 10 a.m., he had not appeared.

“We all just hope he is safe and there’s some mix-up,” said Judge Deborah L. Boardman. She paused before continuing: “And I suppose we just wait.”

Prosecutors and McGrath’s defense attorney, Joseph Murtha, were present and ready to proceed. Murtha told the judge he sent repeated text messages to McGrath and McGrath’s wife and had received no response.

McGrath spent 11 weeks as Hogan’s chief of staff in the summer of 2020, until it was reported that he had negotiated a generous “severance” payment for leaving his prior position at a state agency. McGrath resigned under pressure days after the first news report.

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