April 30, 2026 09:46 am (IST)
Follow us:
Mayor of US city of Baltimore resigns amid children's books corruption scandal
Washington, May 3 (Xinhua/UNI) Catherine Pugh, mayor of U.S. city of Baltimore, resigned Thursday amid a corruption scandal centered around self-published children's books that led to raids on her office and home, according to her attorney.
"I am sorry for the harm I have caused to the image of the city of Baltimore and the credibility of the office of the mayor," her attorney Steven Silverman said in a statement from Pugh, "Baltimore deserves a mayor that can move our great city forward."
The resignation is effective immediately, capping weeks of speculation of whether Pugh would surrender her job in the wake of allegations that she profited from using political power to sell children's books.
Local media reported in March that University of Maryland Medical Center paid 500,000 U.S. dollars to purchase 100,000 copies of Healthy Holly books, a children's book series she wrote. Later investigation showed that not all of the ordered books were delivered.
Local media also reported health insurance company Kaiser Permanente and a non-profit Associated Black Charities both paid large sums to purchase the books.
The allegations prompted the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and criminal investigators from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to search the mayor's home and Baltimore City Hall office on April 25. As investigation proceeded, Pugh took paid leave of absence since April 1.
Pugh's resignation put Bernard Young as the city's full-time mayor. Young has already fired three of Pugh's top aides.
Pugh, 69, was the second Baltimore mayor to resign in disgrace in recent years. Former mayor Sheila Dixon resigned in 2010 as part of a plea deal after being found guilty of embezzlement.
Support Our Journalism
We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism
IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.
Support objective journalism for a small contribution.
Latest Headlines
UAE leaves OPEC, OPEC+ amid global energy crisis
Tue, Apr 28 2026
'One equals four': Iran issues ‘quadruple strike’ warning to Gulf nations after Trump's threats
Mon, Apr 27 2026
Iran sets conditions for US talks—Peace first, Strait of Hormuz next, nuclear issue last
Mon, Apr 27 2026
Middle East tension: IDF eliminates 3 Hamas operatives, including the October 7 infiltrator
Sun, Apr 26 2026
UK couple who won a house 60 years ago just hit the lottery again
Sun, Apr 26 2026
Iran delegation meets Pakistan leadership, leaves US talks hanging in diplomatic limbo
Sat, Apr 25 2026