Mary McCarty | |
---|---|
Education | University of Florida |
Occupation | Politician |
Spouse | Kevin McCarty |
Mary Ballard McCarty (born December 8, 1954) is a politician and former County Commissioner in Palm Beach County, Florida, and served in office from November 1990 [1] until resigning for corruption, announced on January 8, 2009. [2] McCarty resigned from the Board of County Commissioners after she pleaded guilty to one count of honest services fraud. [3] The charges stemmed from votes on projects that indirectly benefited her husband, Kevin McCarty a former employee of Raymond James, without the required disclosure and she received reduced hotel rates from a company that did business with Palm Beach County. [1]
Prior to joining the County Commission, McCarty was elected to the Delray Beach, Florida City Commission; she was first elected to the post in 1987 at the age of 32. [4] In December 2000 McCarty became the chair of the Palm Beach County Republican Party. [5] and served two years. [6]
After pleading guilty, McCarty served 21 months of a 3½-year prison sentence. [4] After being released from a Texas prison, McCarty and her husband (who also served prison time) returned to Palm Beach County and jointly started a management consulting business. Mary McCarty also opened a life coaching business. [4]
Mary Ballard McCarty was born in Chicago, Illinois on December 8, 1954, the eldest of six children. [7] The family lived there for a time in Arlington Heights and Northbrook, both suburbs of Chicago. [7] In 1969, McCarty's family moved to Spooner, Wisconsin, [7] where McCarty graduated from Spooner High School in June, 1972. In the same month, McCarty's family moved to Delray Beach, Florida. [7] McCarty started attending the University of Florida in 1973. [7] She began her career in politics as an intern for U.S. House Majority Leader Tip O'Neill in Washington D.C. in 1974 [7] and helped to monitor the Watergate Hearings. She worked as a waitress to help pay for college. [8]
McCarty graduated from the University of Florida in 1977 with a bachelor's degree in journalism. [9] [10] McCarty went on to work in many capacities in the restaurant industry including, waiting tables, [8] bar-tending, [11] and management. [9] McCarty is married to Kevin McCarty [8]
In 1986, McCarty co-chaired the Delray Beach 75th Diamond Jubilee, [9] a month-long city anniversary celebration.
From 1987 - 1990, she was a City Commissioner and Vice-Mayor of Delray Beach. From November 1990 until her 2009 resignation, she was a county commissioner of Palm Beach County. In 2002, CEO Magazine named her as one of the "100 Most Powerful People in South Florida". [12]
On January 8, 2009, McCarty resigned from office after 18 years and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud. [13] The charges stemmed from votes on projects that indirectly benefited her husband’s employer without the required disclosure and failed to disclose that she received reduced hotel rates from a company that did business with the county (in establishing a Palm Beach County Convention Center hotel). [14]
In June 2009, U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks sentenced McCarty to 42 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. [15] McCarty served her sentence at the Federal Prison Camp, Bryan in Texas. [16] [17] She ultimately served 21 months in prison. [4]
Her husband, Kevin also pleaded guilty to a misprision of a felony for not reporting his wife’s crimes to authorities. He was sentenced to 8 months [18] and spent 5 months in Miami Federal Prison Camp, serving the remaining time under Halfway House supervision. [19]
After being released from a Texas prison, McCarty and her husband (who also served prison time) returned to Palm Beach County and jointly started a management consulting business. Mary McCarty also opened a life coaching business. [4]
On December 23, 2020, McCarty received a full pardon from President Donald Trump. [20]