Former Baltimore mayor Catherine Pugh was sentenced to three years in federal prison on Thursday over a fraud scandal involving her children’s book series.
Last fall, Pugh obtained a plea deal with prosecutors that recommended she be sentenced to between four and five years in prison.
"No one is more disappointed than me," Pugh told the court. "I did turn a blind eye. I did, and sanctioned many things I should not have."
Pugh, 69, came under fire for selling $500,000 in copies of her "Healthy Holly" children's books to the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) while serving on its board. She also sold 20,000 copies of the books to Kaiser Permanente for $114,000 from 2015 to 2018, and 10,000 copies to Associated Black Charities for nearly $80,000 from 2011 and 2016.
She has since resigned her position as a UMMS board member, canceled that deal, and returned the last $100,000 payment from it to UMMS.
The former mayor resigned last May amid the mushrooming corruption scandal.
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