In a bold move to advocate for justice and fairness, the NAACP, along with several other civil rights organizations, is calling on President Joe Biden to pardon former Baltimore City State Attorney Marilyn Mosby.
Mosby, who faces a looming sentencing hearing on May 23, has been convicted of perjury and mortgage fraud charges, but many believe her prosecution was politically motivated and unjust.
The NAACP, alongside the National Council of Negro Women and the National Urban League, penned a five-page letter to President Biden, highlighting their concerns about Mosby’s case. They argue that she was unfairly targeted by federal agencies and wrongly convicted as payback for her role in prosecuting officers involved in the death of Freddie Gray in 2015.
“The only thing Marilyn Mosby is guilty of is the desire to provide her family with a better life,” NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson said. “The sad reality is, as Black women take their rightful places in positions of power, dark forces seek to tear down both their progress and that of our community.”
Mosby’s convictions stem from allegations of lies surrounding a vacation home mortgage and withdrawals from her retirement account, which she attributed to hardships during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite facing up to 40 years in federal prison, Mosby maintains her innocence and has expressed that she has lost everything as a result of the legal battle.
“They’ve targeted me. A four-year-long investigation where they’ve combed every aspect of my life,” Mosby expressed to Joy Ann Reid on MSNBC’s The Reid Out.
She added: “They issued subpoenas to all of the Black churches five months before my reelection not only to get me out of office but they’ve done this to demonize me and to vilify me and to break me – break me psychologically, break me professionally, break me spiritually, break me financially. I’ve lost everything.”
The letter to President Biden condemns the Department of Justice, particularly under the previous administration, for pursuing what it calls a “meritless indictment” against Marilyn Mosby. It accuses the Biden Administration of ignoring the political motives behind what they describe as a “malicious prosecution.” The organizations behind the letter demand that political and malicious prosecutions from the Trump era not continue under the current administration.
Patrice Willoughby, NAACP’s Senior Vice President of Global Policy and Impact, emphasized the urgency of the matter, hoping for a swift response from President Biden. However, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refrained from commenting on the president’s thoughts.
“I want to be really mindful here because that is obviously a Department of Justice process and I don’t want to certainly be speaking to any individual pardon request, that is not something I can do,” Jean-Pierre continues, “The Department of Justice employs a process that is thorough and deliberative when it comes to a process to review executive clemency petitions.”
Civil rights organizations are racing against the clock to secure Marilyn Mosby’s pardon before her sentencing hearing on May 23, with the goal of restoring her full rights. A dedicated website has been launched in Mosby’s support and a petition has garnered over 40,000 signatures, underscoring the widespread support for her cause. Supporters can sign the petition by clicking here.
As the deadline approaches, the NAACP and its allies continue to amplify their call for justice, urging President Biden to intervene and pardon Marilyn Mosby, thereby rectifying what they see as a grave miscarriage of justice.