Former Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh released early from federal probation in ‘Healthy Holly’ fraud convictions

A federal judge on Thursday ordered that probation for former Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh, convicted of fraud charges for her “Healthy Holly” book scheme, be terminated early.

Pugh, 74, was Baltimore’s mayor from 2016 to 2019, when she resigned from office in a scandal.

In 2019, she pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy and tax evasion charges stemming from the self-dealing scheme involving the sale of “Healthy Holly” children’s books. A judge in 2020 sentenced her to three years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

Pugh left prison early in January 2022, when she was transferred from a federal correctional facility in Alabama to the supervision of a reentry management office in Maryland. She was scheduled to be supervised through March 2025.

Federal probation officers authored a memorandum, dated Tuesday, asking a judge to end Pugh’s supervision early, writing that she was ahead of court-ordered restitution payments and had complied with all applicable rules and regulations.

“She is categorized as a person under supervision with a low propensity for reoffending and presents with no identified public safety risks,” probation officers Tracey Lewis and Marius Davis wrote. “She demonstrates the ability to lawfully self-manage beyond supervision and receives adequate prosocial support to aid with this endeavor.”

U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow, who sentenced Pugh four years ago, signed the order terminating her supervision Thursday.

Pugh’s attorney, Andrew White, did not return a request for comment Thursday afternoon.

In the memorandum, the probation officers wrote that they told the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, which prosecuted Pugh, about their plans to ask for early termination of her supervision and that prosecutors did not object.

Pugh began her period of supervision in April 2022, according to the memorandum. The conditions of her release included financial disclosure, no new credit or debt, mental health treatment and medication, cooperation with the Internal Revenue Service and $411,948 in restitution, to be paid at $100 a month, according to the memorandum.

“Since that time, she has maintained a stable residence in Baltimore City, and remained financially capable of adhering to the court stipulated requirements of her restitution payment schedule,” the probation officers wrote, adding that Pugh has repaid almost $64,000.

The former mayor’s return to Baltimore also has seen her make radio appearances and attend last year’s Preakness Stakes.

She secured a contract job with Morgan State University last May, according to the memorandum. Working as a “senior liaison,” Pugh conducts research for the university’s Center 4 Urban Violence Institute.

Pugh’s salary at Morgan, in addition to her Social Security income, has allowed her to pay $1,000 monthly toward restitution, “far exceeding her monthly payment requirement,” the officers wrote.