Nov. 21 (UPI) -- One day after she was indicted on 11 federal criminal charges, former Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh pleaded guilty Thursday to four counts of conspiracy and tax evasion as part of an agreement with prosecutors.
The charges involve the sales of her Healthy Holly line of children's books.
Pugh, 69, appeared in court Thursday afternoon to make the plea and surrendered her passport, as part of the terms allowing her to remain free pending sentencing. She pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to defraud the United States and two counts of tax evasion.
She has pleaded not guilty to seven counts of wire fraud. Her sentencing was not immediately scheduled.
Pugh was charged Wednesday in a 34-page indictment, which prosecutors said they have been building for years with investigation including FBI raids on her home and City Hall. The charges say Pugh was involved in a corrupt scheme involving her book sales and used proceeds to fund her political campaign and buy a house.
The scheme, prosecutors said, included $500,000 for 100,000 books sold to the University of Maryland Medical System while she was a board member on a Senate committee that partly funded the hospital.
Prosecutors said Pugh sometimes failed to print or deliver sold books and avoided public payment disclosures to avoid paying taxes. She has so far returned $100,000.
Pugh became mayor of Baltimore in 2016 and resigned after her home was raided by federal agents in April.
