Jury selection started on Tuesday in the first trial of former Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby, who’s accused of falsely claiming under oath that she experienced an adverse financial consequence from the COVID-19 pandemic to withdraw money early from a retirement account.

Mosby, 43, who served two terms as Baltimore state’s attorney from 2015-2023, is charged with two counts of perjury. Federal prosecutors allege she lied to access $90,000 in a retirement account with the city under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act.

U.S. District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby recessed court at 4:20 p.m. and asked potential jurors to return on Wednesday.

“It’s going to be a busy day tomorrow,” Griggsby said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do.”

The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.

Griggsby previously granted a request to move the trial from Baltimore to U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, which covers Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George’s and St. Mary’s counties. That’s in addition to ordering a separate trial on two counts of making a false statement on a loan application, which are related to the purchase of two properties in Florida.

Next, Griggsby proceeded to ask 59 questions of the 64 prospective jurors, which included whether any of them had a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Mosby.

At one point, Griggsby asked whether they recognized the names of more than a dozen people, including Shelonda Stokes, president of the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, and Erin Murphy, former chief counsel at the Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office who later became director of government affairs for the Baltimore Police Department.

Later, Griggsby individually brought potential jurors into the courtroom for follow-up questions. Some portions of the court proceedings were sealed.

Meanwhile, Federal Public Defender James Wyda, one of Mosby’s attorneys, asked for a break before noon so his client could attend a “state court matter.”

The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.

“We can’t proceed without the defendant,” Griggsby responded. “It sounds like we don’t really have a choice.”

Mosby then virtually appeared at routine hearing in Baltimore Circuit Court in her divorce from her husband, Nick, who’s president of the Baltimore City Council.

In 2022, Ivan Bates, a defense attorney in Baltimore, won the Democratic primary for Baltimore state’s attorney and ran unopposed on Election Day. He was sworn-in on Jan. 3.

Griggsby said the trial is expected to last for three weeks. Both sides are expected on Thursday to deliver opening statements.

dylan.segelbaum@thebaltimorebanner.com

Dylan Segelbaum

dylan.segelbaum@thebaltimorebanner.com

Dylan Segelbaum

Dylan Segelbaum is the courts reporter at The Baltimore Banner.

More from Dylan Segelbaum

Prison or probation? Attorneys make conflicting recommendations for Marilyn Mosby’s sentence

NAACP calls on President Biden to pardon former Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby

More From The Banner

Maryland hospitals took money from poor patients. Why haven’t they paid them back?

Joanna Meade reads aloud love letters from the 1920's in the sun room of her home on February 27, 2024. The letters were found inside of a wall during a renovation.

Secret in the walls: Hidden letters reveal love, lust, scandal in 1920s Baltimore society

Illustration shows black geometric fragments falling from the sky, partially obscuring the faint outline of Key Bridge central span. In the background a sunrise starts to illuminate the darkness.

Grieving my brother and the Key Bridge

Sheila Dixon, a ‘filthy’ street and residents who want politicians to put up or shut up