The Baltimore Sun staff won the Pulitzer Prize in local reporting for the newspaper’s investigatory work on former Mayor Catherine Pugh’s children’s book line, ultimately exposing the series as a scheme Pugh used to enrich herself and part of a larger pattern of self-dealing on the board of the University of Maryland Medical System.

Under increased pressure as more and more book deals were revealed by The Sun and other outlets, Pugh took a leave of absence in April 2019 before resigning one month later.

In November, the disgraced former mayor pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy and tax charges.

Five top executives resigned from the non-profit hospital operator, and state lawmakers passed ethics legislation reforming its board of directors.

The citation credits The Sun staff for “illuminating, impactful reporting on a lucrative, undisclosed financial relationship between the city’s mayor and the public hospital system she helped to oversee.”