WCBC

Federal prosecutors are asking for nearly three years in prison for ex-Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh’s aide Gary Brown Jr., saying he carried out an “eight-year pattern of nonstop criminality.”

Brown was deeply involved in four different schemes, sometimes acting in concert with Pugh and other times acting alone, according to prosecutors, who said he played the role of “bagman” for a campaign finance scheme in addition to helping carry out the “Healthy Holly” children’s book scandal. 

Pugh is serving a three-year sentence at a federal prison. Her legal troubles began when the Baltimore Sun reported she had entered into a no-bid deal with the University of Maryland Medical System, where Pugh sat on the board of directors, to buy 100,000 copies of her sloppily self-published “Healthy Holly” books for $500,000. She later resigned amid multiple investigations into her finances and the book sales. 

At the same time, she failed to print thousands of copies, double-sold thousands more and took many others to use for self-promotion, according to prosecutors. Investigators also uncovered that she laundered illegal campaign contributions and failed to pay taxes.