Former top prosecutor Marilyn Mosby says she hit rock bottom after convictions, lashes out at Ivan Bates

CBS News

03-07-2025

Former top Baltimore City prosecutor Marilyn Mosby, who is now free from home detention, is not holding back and said she hit "rock bottom" following her federal convictions.
She recently spoke to the Native Land Podcast.
"They tried to break me on so many different levels and make an example out of me for what I stood for," Mosby said. "It had absolutely nothing to do with anything that I did wrong. I withdrew my own retirement savings that I put away every two weeks to buy property. That was the extent of what I was accused of. And having to fight the federal government was really difficult. I lost everything. I lost my marriage. I lost my career. I lost my house. I lost my car. It was my home. It was a lot, and so many folks I thought would be there were not."
Mosby said it was one of the lowest points in her life.
"I've learned lessons at rock bottom that peaks of mountaintops will never teach you. It required me to hit rock bottom, for me to lose everything, for me to open my eyes and to get back to myself," Mosby said.
Convicted of two counts of perjury and one count of making false statements on a mortgage application, Mosby remains on supervised release.
"Right now, I'm technically a felon," she said, "So, a felon—as a felon—you know in this country, if you're not Donald Trump with 34 felonies running for president, you are a second-class citizen."
Criticizing State's Attorney Ivan Bates
Mosby revealed that State's Attorney Ivan Bates, who replaced her, filed a formal complaint for her handling of the Adnan Syed case.
Syed, now out of prison, long maintained his innocence in the killing of Hae Min Lee and garnered national attention through the Serial podcast.
Bates previously said Mosby's motion to vacate the sentence "contains false and misleading statements."
"Ivan Bates, the newly elected state's attorney, has used this opportunity to try and hurt me," Mosby told Native Land Pod. "He filed an attorney grievance against me on one particular case, despite the thousands of cases that I oversaw, that I didn't personally investigate. Really shucking and jiving. You know. We've got those folks who tap dance and hold the water for the status quo. And that's essentially what's being done."
While Bates' spokesman said he couldn't comment on the Syed case, he did refer WJZ to a past statement, "While some have criticized our office for moving beyond the policies of the previous administration, the progress we've made in reducing homicides in Baltimore tells a different story—one grounded in results, not rhetoric. By repealing ineffective non-prosecution policies, we've empowered our police officers to re-engage fully in the mission of public safety—not only as law enforcers, but as violence interrupters working proactively in our communities."
Mosby told the podcast, "The newly-elected state's attorney is playing politics, just like Trump. Unfortunately, he took advantage of the fact that I had this bogus investigation and looming criminal case hanging over me. He had previously run against me and lost, but this time around, he won. And he ran on a platform of pretty much reversing everything that I had done in my office, progressive-related. And he did just that."
Florida homes
Mosby also spoke about the Florida vacation homes at the center of her criminal case.
"I had to sell one for attorneys' fees, and one is pending this appeal. The government is trying to take it," the former city state's attorney revealed.
Mosby's appeal
Mosby is still hopeful her criminal conviction will be overturned as part of that appeal.
"The government was attempting to take my house and to take my law license before the appeal was exhausted, and the Supreme Court in Maryland basically said you cannot do that, so it's been a constant struggle and a battle that we won temporarily until this appeal is ultimately decided," Mosby said.
The current appeal is before the Fourth Circuit. Mosby said a decision could be handed down at any time.
She tried to get a pardon from President Biden before he left office, but was unsuccessful.