Catherine Pugh

Catherine Pugh
Catherine Pugh in 2017
Pugh in 2017
51st Mayor of Baltimore
In office
December 6, 2016 – May 2, 2019
On leave: April 2, 2019 – May 2, 2019
Preceded byStephanie Rawlings-Blake
Succeeded byJack Young
Majority Leader of the Maryland Senate
In office
January 14, 2015 – December 6, 2016
Preceded byJames Robey
Succeeded byDouglas J. J. Peters
Member of the Maryland Senate
from the 40th district
In office
January 10, 2007 – December 6, 2016
Preceded byRalph M. Hughes
Succeeded byBarbara A. Robinson
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates
from the 40th district
In office
June 16, 2005 – January 10, 2007
Preceded byTony Fulton
Succeeded byShawn Z. Tarrant
Member of the Baltimore City Council
from the 4th district
In office
January 2000 – December 7, 2004
Preceded bySheila Dixon
Succeeded byJack Young
Personal details
Born
Catherine Elizabeth Crump

(1950-03-10) March 10, 1950 (age 74)
Norristown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Phillip Pugh
​
​
(m. 1973; div. 1975)​
EducationMorgan State University (BS, MBA)

Catherine Elizabeth Pugh (born March 10, 1950)[1][2] is an American former politician who served as the 51st mayor of Baltimore, Maryland's largest city, from 2016 to 2019. She resigned from office amid a scandal that eventually led to criminal charges, three years in prison, and three years probation in 2020.[3]

Pugh entered in Maryland politics in 1999, when she was elected to the Baltimore City Council. She subsequently held office in the Maryland House of Delegates and the Maryland Senate, serving as the Majority Leader from 2015 to 2016. Pugh ran for mayor of Baltimore in 2016 and won the primary against former mayor Sheila Dixon. Pugh then won the mayoral election on November 8, 2016, with 57% of the popular vote, and took office on December 6, 2016.[4]

In 2019, Pugh was accused of involvement in a scandal over a "self-dealing" arrangement in which organizations purchased large quantities of Pugh's books in exchange for contracts with the city.[5] On May 2, 2019, Pugh resigned as mayor amid the book scandal[6] and on November 20, 2019, she was indicted by a grand jury on eleven counts, including tax evasion, fraud and conspiracy in connection with the book transactions.[7] The following day she signed a plea agreement, pleading guilty to four charges of conspiracy and tax evasion.[3][8] Pugh served two years in federal prison before being released on probation in to a Baltimore halfway house.[9]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Senator was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "About the Mayor". Former Mayor Catherine E. Pugh. June 26, 2014.
  3. ^ a b Broadwater, Luke; Rector, Kevin (November 21, 2019). "Former Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh pleads guilty to conspiracy, tax evasion in 'Healthy Holly' book scheme". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  4. ^ Fritze, John (November 9, 2016), "How does a Donald Trump administration look in Maryland? In a word, different", The Baltimore Sun, retrieved November 11, 2016
  5. ^ McFadden, David (April 1, 2019). "Baltimore mayor goes on leave as 'self-serving' book deal scandal intensifies". KMPH-TV. Associated Press. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  6. ^ Kate Sullivan (May 2, 2019). "Mayor of Baltimore resigns amid book scandal". CNN. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  7. ^ Broadwater, Luke; Rector, Kevin (November 20, 2019). "Former Baltimore Mayor Pugh charged with 11 counts of fraud, tax evasion in 'Healthy Holly' book scandal". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  8. ^ Miller, Jayne (November 21, 2019). "Catherine Pugh enters guilty plea for 4 charges in indictment". WBAL-TV. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  9. ^ Hellgren, Mike (January 26, 2022). "Former Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh Released From Prison Early". WJZ-TV. Baltimore, MD.