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“Hey, sis.”
So begins the 55-second social media video posted on Marilyn Mosby’s Instagram account Monday, in which the former Baltimore City State’s Attorney, dressed smartly in a blue blazer and turquoise earrings, makes a pitch for her next business venture: a five-day women’s spirituality retreat and conference in Negril, Jamaica, this October.
Mosby, who exited the state’s attorney’s office last year after being defeated by challenger Ivan Bates, said 25 professional women will be accepted to join her in the “intimate holistic transformational experience.” The video includes footage of women meditating on beaches, sitting poolside and resting, eyes closed, in a candlelit bubble bath.
It wasn’t immediately clear what sorts of activities the retreat would entail, but Mosby frames it as an opportunity for women of color who have experienced workplace bias to unwind and celebrate each other’s wins.
“Join me in Negril, for five days and four nights, and be pampered and spoiled the way that you need to and the way that you deserve,” she says near the video’s end.
Efforts to reach Mosby Tuesday afternoon were unsuccessful.
The pitch comes on the heels of Mosby’s filing for divorce against her husband, City Council President Nick Mosby, last week, and about three months from the scheduled start of her federal criminal trial, which is set for early November.
Mosby, 43, is charged with two counts of perjury and two counts of making false statements. Prosecutors say she lied about a financial hardship in order to access retirement funds under a federal coronavirus relief plan, despite being employed full-time and with more income in 2020. They also say she lied on paperwork related to the purchase of two Florida properties.
In Monday’s video, Mosby introduces herself as the managing partner of Mahogany Elite Enterprises and the video is stamped with a Mahogany Elite Travel watermark. Those enterprises, along with a similarly named consulting firm, are two of three entities Mosby created in 2019 that are at the center of the federal charges for claiming an economic hardship to access retirement funds. Mosby has said she didn’t intend to operate the companies until out of office, but her attorney has suggested her business was affected by the pandemic.
In court filings and public comments, Mosby and her lawyers have accused prosecutors of conducting a witch hunt fueled by racist and sexist prejudices. So far, they’ve offered various legal defenses to the charges, claiming she suffered businesses losses; that retirement plan regulators failed to notify her of the requirements for withdrawals; and that she was kept in the dark and later lied to by her husband about a federal tax lien placed on their property.
Nick Mosby has not been charged with any crimes.
In January, Mosby’s legal team withdrew from the case. A judge declared Mosby indigent and appointed a federal public defender to represent her.
As of late Tuesday, Mosby’s video had been played on Instagram more than 17,000 times. Mosby configured the settings to limit who could post comments.
hallie.miller@thebaltimorebanner.com
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Hallie Miller covers housing for The Baltimore Banner. She's previously covered city and regional services, business and health at both The Banner and The Baltimore Sun.
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