The payouts for the books came at a time when the company was seeking to provide coverage to city employees. The city’s spending panel, which Pugh sat on, eventually awarded the company a $48 million contract with the city in 2017.
Pugh had been defiant in resisting calls for her resignation. Her office sent out a statement a week into her leave saying that “she fully intends to resume the duties of her office.”
But a turning point for the mayor came on April 26, when FBI and IRS agents were seen carrying off boxes of paperwork from early morning raids — a clear sign that mayor’s actions had piqued the interest of federal authorities.
As NPR reported at the time, an IRS spokesperson confirmed to NPR that the raid had been carried out at Pugh’s homes, City Hall office and the Maryland Center for Adult Training, where Pugh previously chaired the board.
The IRS official, however, would not say whether the raids were related to the book deals.
Hours after the raid, Maryland’s Republican Gov. Larry Hogan issued a statement urging her resignation, saying, “Mayor Pugh has lost the public trust. She is clearly not fit to lead.”
That same day, Pugh’s legal team confirmed federal agents also visited their offices seeking “original financial records belonging to Mayor Catherine Pugh,” attorney Silverman said in a statement.
As member station WYPR’s Emily Sullivan reported, Pugh’s lawyers told reporters that evening that she was “becoming lucid” but not yet well enough to decide whether to resign.
It appears she has convalesced enough to realize her support as the city’s top leader has all but evaporated.
Article Appeared @
https://www.npr.org/2019/05/02/717660592/baltimore-mayor-catherine-pugh-resigns-in-wake-of-childrens-book-scandal