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 until resigning for corruption, announced on January 8, 2009. McCarty resigned from the Board of County Commissioners after she pleaded guilty to one count of

honest services fraud Honest services fraud is a crime defined in (the federal mail and wire fraud statute), added by the United States Congress in 1988, which states "For the purposes of this chapter, the term ''scheme or artifice to defraud'' includes a scheme or ...

. 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. Prior to joining the County Commission, McCarty was elected to the

Delray Beach, Florida Delray Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population of Delray Beach as of April 1, 2020 was 66,846 according to the 2020 United States Census. Located 52 miles (83 kilometers) north of Miami, Delray Beach is in the ...

City Commission; she was first elected to the post in 1987 at the age of 32.Eliot Kleinberg
Mary McCarty’s got a brand new gig: Prison-life coach
''Palm Beach Post'' (November 11, 2015). In December 2000 McCarty became the chair of the Palm Beach County Republican Party. and served two years. After pleading guilty, McCarty served 21 months of a 3½-year prison sentence. After being released from a

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

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 Coaching is a form of development in which an experienced person, called a ''coach'', supports a learner or client in achieving a specific personal or professional goal by providing training and guidance. The learner is sometimes called a ''coa ...

business.

Early life, education and family

Mary Ballard McCarty was born in

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on December 8, 1954, the eldest of six children. The family lived there for a time in Arlington Heights and Northbrook, both suburbs of

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. In 1969, McCarty's family moved to

Spooner, Wisconsin Spooner is a city in Washburn County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,573 at the 2020 census. The city is located mostly within the southwest corner of the Town of Spooner, with a small portion extending into the Town of Beaver ...

, where McCarty graduated from Spooner High School in June, 1972. In the same month, McCarty's family moved to

. McCarty started attending the University of Florida in 1973. She began her career in politics as an

intern An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, internship is used practice for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and gove ...

for U.S. House Majority Leader

Tip O'Neill Thomas Phillip "Tip" O'Neill Jr. (December 9, 1912 – January 5, 1994) was an American politician who served as the 47th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 1987, representing northern Boston, Massachusetts, as ...

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in 1974 and helped to monitor the Watergate Hearings. She worked as a waitress to help pay for college. McCarty graduated from the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

in 1977 with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the " news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (pro ...

. McCarty went on to work in many capacities in the restaurant industry including, waiting tables, bar-tending, and management. McCarty is married to Kevin McCarty In 1986, McCarty co-chaired the Delray Beach 75th Diamond Jubilee, a month-long city anniversary celebration.

Public office

From 1987 - 1990, she was a City Commissioner and Vice-Mayor of

Delray Beach Delray Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population of Delray Beach as of April 1, 2020 was 66,846 according to the 2020 United States Census. Located 52 miles (83 kilometers) north of Miami, Delray Beach is in the ...

. From November 1990 until her 2009 resignation, she was a county commissioner of

Palm Beach County Palm Beach County is a county located in the southeastern part of Florida and lies directly north of Broward County and Miami-Dade County. The county had a population of 1,492,191 as of the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous county ...

. In 2002, ''CEO Magazine'' named her as one of the "100 Most Powerful People in South Florida".

Federal felony conviction

On January 8, 2009, McCarty resigned from office after 18 years and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit

.Reid, Andy "Palm Beach County Commissioner Mary McCarty Resigns, Plans to Plead Guilty Fraud, ''

The Palm Beach Post ''The Palm Beach Post'' is an American daily newspaper serving Palm Beach County in South Florida, and parts of the Treasure Coast. On March 18, 2018, in a deal worth US$42.35 million, ''The Palm Beach Post'' and ''The Palm Beach Daily News'' ...

'' (January 8, 2009). 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 The Palm Beach County Convention Center is a multi-purpose facility in West Palm Beach, Florida, managed by Spectra Venue Management. The facility opened in January 2004 and hosts It is connected via covered walkway to the Hilton West Palm Bea ...

hotel). In June 2009, U.S. District Judge

Donald M. Middlebrooks Donald Marsh Middlebrooks (born December 31, 1946) is a United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Education and career Middlebrooks was born in Orlando, Fl ...

sentenced McCarty to 42 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. McCarty served her sentence at the Federal Prison Camp, Bryan in Texas. She ultimately served 21 months in prison. Her husband, Kevin also pleaded guilty to a

misprision of a felony Misprision of felony is a form of misprision, and an offence under the common law of England that is no longer active in many common law countries. Where it was or is active, it is classified as a misdemeanor. It consists of failing to report k ...

for not reporting his wife’s crimes to authorities. He was sentenced to 8 months and spent 5 months in Miami Federal Prison Camp, serving the remaining time under Halfway House supervision.

Life after prison

After being released from a

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

business.

Presidential pardon

On December 23, 2020, McCarty received a full pardon from

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

.www.whitehouse.gov
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References

External links

Mary McCarty's resignation letterFederal fraud case (Sun Sentinel)
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCarty, Mary County commissioners in Florida Florida politicians convicted of crimes People convicted of honest services fraud Living people People from Delray Beach, Florida American politicians convicted of fraud University of Florida alumni Florida city council members Women in Florida politics 1954 births Women city councillors in Florida Florida Republicans Recipients of American presidential pardons