Former Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby is taking the witness stand Wednesday in her federal mortgage fraud trial.
Mosby made her decision around 10 a.m. to testify in defense of two counts of making false statements on mortgage applications for a pair of properties in Florida: an eight-bedroom house near Disney World and condo on the Gulf Coast.
Her testimony followed six days of trial, the last four of which her attorneys spent putting on evidence in support of their theory of the case that she did not intentionally lie.
Prosecutors say Mosby made seven false statements on loan applications for the Florida vacation properties.
The prosecution must prove Mosby made the false statements knowingly and that her lies influenced the financial institutions that loaned her money. Prosecutors need only convince the jury of one false statement per mortgage to secure convictions.
By deciding to testify, Mosby opens herself up to prosecutors’ questions about her recent, related conviction for perjury after a jury in November found she lied to about experiencing financial hardship because of the coronavirus pandemic to make herself eligible to withdraw money early from her city retirement savings account under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.
At 10:10 a.m., Federal Public Defender James Wyda said: “The defense calls Marilyn Mosby to the stand.”
This article will be updated.